Bronchitis physical examination

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [2]; Nate Michalak, B.A.

Bronchitis Main page

Patient Information

Overview

Causes

Classification

Acute bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis

Differential Diagnosis

Overview

Physical examination often reveals signs of airflow narrowing and irritation, which consists of the following: cough with or without sputum, wheezing, and prolonged expiratory phase. Abnormal breathing sounds, such as rhonchi and rales, are common findings in bronchitis.

Physical Examination

  1. Fever
  2. Prolonged expiration
  3. Wheezing due to bronchospasm and reduced FEV1 has been shown in up to 40% of patients
  4. Rhonchi
  5. Rales
  • Common physical examination findings of chronic bronchitis can be cyanosis, tachypnea, use of accessory respiratory muscles, paradoxical indrawing of lower intercostal spaces (known as the Hoover sign), elevated jugular venous pulse, and peripheral edema. In pulmonary examination, barrel chest (emphysema), wheezing, hyperresonance, rales, and rhonchi may be found. Blue bloaters, are plethoric (red face/cheeks due to a polycythemia secondary to chronic hypoxia) and cyanotic (due to decreased hemoglobin saturation) seen in advanced stages of disease.[3]

References

  1. Albert RH (2010). "Diagnosis and treatment of acute bronchitis". Am Fam Physician. 82 (11): 1345–50. PMID 21121518.
  2. Wenzel RP, Fowler AA (2006). "Clinical practice. Acute bronchitis". N. Engl. J. Med. 355 (20): 2125–30. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp061493. PMID 17108344.
  3. Badgett RG, Tanaka DJ, Hunt DK, Jelley MJ, Feinberg LE, Steiner JF, Petty TL (1993). "Can moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease be diagnosed by historical and physical findings alone?". Am. J. Med. 94 (2): 188–96. PMID 8430714.

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