Bronchitis is caused by inflammation and swelling in the lining of the lungs, and in quite a few cases, it is the result of a complication from a respiratory illness such as the common cold or flu. In most cases, bronchitis is a viral infection and contagious as a result.
Now, if you have the flu or common cold and it evolves into bronchitis, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will spread bronchitis. You will generally spread the flu or whatever it was you originally had.
By definition, acute bronchitis occurs when a virus attacks the mucus lining of the airwaves in the body leading to the lungs. This leads to a massive increase in mucus and causes swelling.
That fact alone doesn’t mean bronchitis will be the resulting illness; instead, it’s the way in which the virus attacks and how your body responds to it that will actually cause bronchitis to develop. As a matter of fact, bronchitis can actually be caused by any sort of virus that infects the respiratory system.
To give a very simple example, if you have the flu or common, you may or may not develop bronchitis. Why is this the case?
Well, if the illness you’re suffering from doesn’t make its way into your airways and respiratory system, chances are you won’t develop bronchitis. Naturally it follows that if your illness does indeed infect the respiratory system, there’s a good chance of developing bronchitis, though it isn’t certain.
As you might already be able to tell, the answer to “can you catch bronchitis?” is a bit more difficult and complicated to answer than what you might have originally guessed. It’s not a question that has a yes or no answer; instead, it’s more of a “maybe, it depends”.
If you do end up getting bronchitis, you are at risk for spreading whatever it was that caused you to develop bronchitis. If you had the flu and developed it and had close contact with someone else, then they’re at risk for getting the flu.
Luckily, if you are unlucky enough to develop bronchitis, the symptoms will generally go away in a week or so, so it’s not the end of the world. However, if you develop chronic bronchitis, the symptoms can last for months in a row per year for multiple years in a row. It is also important to note that as a general rule, you should not take over the counter antibiotics for bronchitis.
Since bronchitis is generally a viral infection, antibiotics will literally be useless and can cause more harm than good. There are some rare cases of bronchitis being caused by bacteria, so there are times where antibiotics are beneficial. You will need to consult with your doctor to determine what type you have and then proceed from there.
If you want to avoid catching bronchitis altogether, it is best to practice standard hygiene techniques in conjunction with living an overall healthy lifestyle. The best way of preventing bronchitis is to prevent getting illnesses that can evolve to impact the respiratory system like the flu and common cold.
Simple and standard practices like frequent hand washing, avoiding eye/mouth touching, and avoiding being around people who have the flu or common cold go a long way in stopping bronchitis dead in its tracks.
If you did end up contracting bronchitis, it would be extremely beneficial to check out Dylan George’s method to completely get covered before you do anything else. Mr. George’s method is one of the only guaranteed ways to cure bronchitis, and although it’s not medically endorsed, over 34,000 people in the world have used this method to rid themselves of this awful illness. Check out the Bronchitis Home Remedy.
To conclude and summarize, yes, bronchitis is contagious, but only under certain circumstances. Though there are rare occasions where bronchitis is in a bacterial form, it is usually found in viral form, but both forms are contagious.
Additionally, the type of bronchitis contracted depends directly on the initial sickness that it was derived from and whether or not the initial sickness affected the respiratory system. If so, then bronchitis is a possibility; if not, then it’s not.
Always seek medical attention if you think you’re coming down with an illness. Professionally trained physicians will know what sort of bronchitis you have and ensure it isn’t something more serious like pneumonia or heart disease.
If you are diagnosed with bronchitis, be sure to check out Dylan George’s completely natural, easy to use, and effective home remedy system to eradicate the disease before it evolves into something more serious.