Acute bronchitis secondary to viral upper respiratory tract infection

Dear Ask The Doctor: I've had a really bad cough for some days now and it's never ending. I don't just cough every once in awhile. It's every second it seems. My throat is very itchy and no matter how many times I cough to relieve it, it still continues to irritate me. The coughing has gotten so bad that I have vomited from it on occasion. I have tried almost every over the counter medicine available and none have relieved my symptoms a bit. I can't seem to catch my breath and I have a bit of a wheezing sound when I exhale. I've had a cough like this once before when I had bronchitis. I've also had a cough on and off for about a month now and I recently have had a cold. Do I have bronchitis again??

Dear Melissa: Due to your recent history of a viral upper respiratory tract infection, you may have acute bronchitis which often presents with a cough lasting more than five days (typically one to three weeks), usually associated with sputum production. The usual causes of acute bronchitis are viral infections of the upper airways including influenza A and B, parainfluenza, coronavirus (types 1-3), rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and human metapneumovirus, therefore antibiotics are of no use, and treatment is aimed at symptom management. With your description of wheeze associated with the cough you may benefit from a short-term beta-2-agonist inhaler such as salbutamol to minimize airflow obstruction. I advise attending your family doctor for detailed history, clinical examination and further management.