Bronchitis four times since September

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi, my name is Michelle and I've had bronchitis four times since September. I've seen a doctor the first three times and they gave me antibiotics which helped for a day or two then I got a cold. The bronchitis came back shortly after. Now I'm on my fourth fit of bronchitis and I have yet to see a doctor. I do NOT smoke at all and am only 21. Should I be worried about this?

Dear Michelle:

As you may already, this condition causes an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, a common condition; acute bronchitis often develops from a cold or other respiratory infection. The most common entity is a viral infection, apparently since you received antibiotics, bacterial pathogens might have been the cause of your recurrent bouts. You can also develop noninfectious bronchitis from exposure to your own or someone else's tobacco smoke and from pollutants such as household cleaners and smog, if you noticed acid reflux lately, this might also cause

On any case, this condition usually improves within a few days without lasting effects, although you may continue to cough for weeks. I would suggest you to avoid certain irritants and allergens, if you have another episode, this time I would like you to suggest your physician do a sputum culture to rule out definitely a bacterial cause. Asthma might have the same symptoms and due to your history of allergies, you might also want to rule out this possibility. I wish you the best.