Bronchitis is a common disease that affects people at any age and is characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the lungs and the bronchial tree. At the time of the onset of the disease, symptoms may vary. According to the stages of its course, the disease is divided into chronic and acute bronchitis. Only a therapist or family doctor has the right to prescribe correct and comprehensive treatment, and only after confirming the diagnosis, determining the cause, course and development of the disease.
Does bronchitis need to be treated with antibiotics?
Despite the fact that this disease occurs frequently in adults, there is no uniform treatment regimen. The question of whether antibacterial therapy is needed in the treatment of bronchitis in adults is also difficult. The disease itself in half of the cases is a viral cause, which is why treatment with antibacterial agents alone will not bring the desired result. In such cases, the right decision would be to consult a doctor who can answer whether antibacterial therapy is needed in each case.
The mechanism of action of antibiotics for bronchitis in adults
Medicinal substances of the antibacterial group can not only stop, but also destroy the reproduction and growth of fungi and bacteria, which cause the development of bronchitis in adults. For each type of this disease, the attending physician must prescribe antibiotics of a certain group.
Antibiotics for bronchitis, groups:
- Macrolides are capable of disrupting the process of protein production in bacterial cells, as a result of which microorganisms lose their ability to reproduce. This group of drugs is prescribed for long-term disease without fear of causing harm to the body.
- Aminopenicillins - antibiotics of this group are capable of destroying the walls of bacteria, which leads to the death of microorganisms, but it should be noted that drugs in this group can lead to allergic reactions more often than others.
- Cephalosporins - the mechanism of action of antibiotics occurs by inhibiting the synthesis of substances, and the quantitative growth of microorganisms stops.
- Fluoroquinolones destroy the DNA of bacteria, which leads to their death.
When choosing an antibiotic for injections, it is necessary to take into account the patient’s age, the course of the disease and the cause of its occurrence. The main medications for the treatment of bronchial inflammation in adults are antibacterial agents in injections, which can be administered either intramuscularly or intravenously.
Macrolides:
- Sumamed (active substance azithromycin).
- Rovamycin (spiramycin).
- Chemomycin (azithromycin).
- Fromilid (clarithromcin).
- Macropen (midecamycin).
Aminopenicillins:
- Ampiox (active substance ampicillin).
- Ospamox (amoxicillin).
- Amoxil (amoxicillin).
- Flemoskin (amoxicillin).
Cephalosporins:
- Medaxone (active substance ceftriaxone).
- Emsef (ceftriaxone).
- Cefaxone (ceftriaxone).
- Zinnat (cefuroxime).
Fluoroquinolones:
- Ciprinol (active substance ofloxacin).
- Levoflox (levofloxacin).
- Ciprolet (ciprofloxacin).
- Levomac (levofloxacin).
Treatment of obstructive bronchitis
Based on the first symptoms of acute inflammation in the bronchi, it is almost impossible to determine the causative agent of the disease. Therefore, in the first days of illness, antibacterial drugs, as a rule, are not used.
After everything becomes more or less clear about the cause of inflammation of the bronchi, for acute bronchitis in adults, the doctor may prescribe drugs of the penicillin group (if the patient is not allergic) or macrolides.
Before you start taking antibiotics for obstructive bronchitis, you need to get tested and identify the bacterial infection that caused the inflammatory process. When the pathogen is identified, aminopenicillin drugs, macrolides or fluoroquinolones can be prescribed.
Most often, Augmentin, Sumamed, Clarithromycin and others are prescribed for this type of disease.
No one is immune from inflammation in the bronchi, including pregnant women. In the second half of pregnancy, bronchitis can be complicated by low mobility of the diaphragm and the inability of the expectant mother to cough properly. All this leads to the accumulation and stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract.
Also, due to the fact that pregnant women are not recommended to drink a lot of liquid during long periods, the sputum thickens, which further aggravates the patient’s condition.
If bronchitis is not treated, the disease may drag on and the woman’s body will become poisoned by the infection. Accordingly, all this will affect the child being carried.
To avoid this, doctors often prescribe pregnant women the most harmless antibiotics, such as aminopenicillins. Cephalosporins are prescribed much less frequently to pregnant women.
All other antibacterial drugs are contraindicated during pregnancy.
It is undesirable to prescribe antibiotics for bronchitis in pregnant women, especially in the first 3 months
The body of a pregnant woman changes, is exposed to internal and external factors, and immunity decreases. Bronchitis in pregnant women is often detected. The illness begins like a common cold, but after a couple of days a dry cough makes itself felt, and after another couple of days, phlegm from the bronchi begins.
Sputum discharge is difficult due to poor mobility and elevated position of the diaphragm. It is not advisable to prescribe antibiotics for bronchitis in pregnant women, especially in the first 3 months. If this is absolutely impossible, then the doctor will prescribe a medicine from the penicillin group - Flemoxin, Amoxicillin.
In the second trimester, you can be treated with cephalosporins, but fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines are contraindicated. The antibiotic Bioparox, which is used for inhalation, has a good effect. Considering that the medicine does not have a systemic effect, it will not be harmful to mother and child.
Intramuscular antibiotics for bronchitis
Drug name | pharmachologic effect | Indications for use | Contraindications for use |
Ceftriaxone | Bactericidal, antimicrobial | Acute and chronic forms of bronchitis, and many other infectious diseases | Hypersensitivity to the drug, pregnancy, breastfeeding, hepatic renal failure |
Cefazolin | Bactericidal | Acute bronchitis, pneumonia, lung abscess | Hypersensitivity to the drug |
Emsef | Bactericidal | Bronchitis, pneumonia, meningitis | Hypersensitivity to the drug, pregnancy |
Medakson | Bactericidal, antimicrobial | Infectious diseases that are sensitive to ceftriaxone | Hypersensitivity to the drug, pregnancy |
Intravenous antibiotics for bronchitis
Name of the drug. | Pharmachologic effect. | Indications for use. | Contraindications for use. |
Tsiprinol | Bactericidal, antimicrobial | Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract | Hypersensitivity to the drug |
Rovamycin | Antimicrobial | Acute form of bronchitis | Lactation period, hypersensitivity to the drug |
Levomac | Bactericidal, antimicrobial | Acute and chronic form of bronchitis | Hypersensitivity to the drug, epilepsy |
Levoflox | Antimicrobial | Acute and chronic forms of bronchitis, and many other infectious diseases | Hypersensitivity to the drug, pregnancy |
You should know that before administering any antibiotic injections, it is necessary to do a sensitivity test.
When treating with any antibacterial agent, conducting a sensitivity test is the first step before administering the injection. It is necessary to determine whether the chosen drug is suitable or not; in the case when the drug brings an unacceptable positive reaction to a person, then treatment should be carried out with another drug, after a new test.
Technique for performing antibiotic sensitivity testing
- The drug is diluted with sodium chloride solution in a ratio of 1 ml of NaCl per 100,000 units of antibiotic.
- 0.1 ml of the resulting solution is drawn into the syringe.
- The middle part of the surface of the forearm is treated with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol.
- Using a syringe needle, two scratches are made (parallel to one another) approximately 10 mm long.
- A drop of diluted medicine is applied on top of the scratches.
- The time taken is 30 minutes.
- After the allotted time, the sample is read.
The antibiotic should not be administered when redness, swelling or itching occurs at the test site (the test is positive).
Antibacterial drugs for bronchitis in adults are administered by injection, so they enter the blood faster and begin their effect on the body, thanks to which an allergic reaction, if any, will occur immediately. When treating bronchitis, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics in injections of the sulfonamide group or trimethoprim. This is a combination of drugs, the treatment of which does not often cause sensitivity in adults. Also very often, doctors resort to the use of semi-synthetic antibiotics with a wide spectrum of effects. Such drugs include Hiconcil, Ospamox, Ampicillin, Amoxiclav. If even these drugs do not have a positive result, then gentamicin injections are used. But do not forget that an effective and correctly selected antibiotic is the one to which the pathogen is sensitive during bacteriological testing.
It is up to the doctor to decide whether to use antibiotic injections to treat bronchitis.
What injections are given for bronchitis in adults?
For inflammation of the bronchi, the following groups of drugs can be prescribed in injection form:
- relatively often - antibiotics, mucolytics, immunomodulators;
- relatively rarely - bronchodilators, hormones, antihistamines and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Antibiotics
They are not prescribed in all cases of bronchitis, but only when it is caused by bacteria or a mixed infection. Usually these are infants, elderly and weakened patients. In this case, the antibiotic can be selected taking into account the results of an analysis of the sensitivity of the pathogen to the action of antibacterial drugs, as well as empirically. In the latter case, injectable agents belonging to the group of amoxicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides or macrolides are used. The most popular among them:
- Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid (Augmentin, Amoxiclav);
- Ceftriaxone, Cefazolin;
- Gentamicin;
- Clarithromycin (Klacid), Spiramycin (Rovamycin).
In order to prevent dysbacteriosis, drugs are additionally prescribed to restore intestinal microflora - Linex, Lactiale, yogurt, etc.
Note: expert opinions vary regarding the need to take probiotics. Some of them claim that correction of the intestinal microflora is necessary, others - that the balance of bacteria is restored on its own. Practice shows that diarrhea associated with taking antibacterial agents goes away within a few days, regardless of the use of probiotics.
Hormonal drugs
In cases of severe allergies and obstructive syndrome, glucocorticosteroids may be recommended. In injection form, they are used extremely rarely, usually only in situations where it is necessary to achieve an almost instant result, when the use of inhaled hormones is ineffective or impossible.
Usually the following is administered in the form of injections for allergic bronchitis:
- Prednisolone,
- Dexamethasone,
- Hydrocortisone.
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators relieve bronchospasm, therefore they are indicated for obstructive bronchitis if inhaled forms do not help or there is no possibility to use them. As a rule, the most popular of them are injections:
- Eufillina;
- Hexoprenaline (Iprazole);
- Izadrina.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
For bronchitis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in injections are used extremely rarely.
This is usually associated either with gastroenterological problems, when they cannot be prescribed orally, or with an exacerbation of any concomitant disease, for example, arthritis. Typical injectable forms of NSAIDs:
- Diclofenac (Voltaren);
- Ketoprofen (Ketonal);
- Meloskikam (Movalis).
Note: the use of injectable forms of NSAIDs only partially weakens, but does not completely eliminate the negative effects on the intestines. Therefore, the use of this group in patients with gastrointestinal pathology should be done with caution.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines are prescribed in case of allergies that accompany obstructive bronchitis. Doctors relatively rarely resort to injection forms for inflammation of the bronchi, since there are many effective remedies for oral administration.
If necessary, injections may be prescribed:
- Suprastin,
- Diphenhydramine,
- Tavegil.
Immunomodulators
Injection forms are usually used to prevent exacerbation of chronic bronchitis during acute respiratory viral infections and influenza. These include:
- Cycloferon,
- Immunoglobulin.
Injections of aloe, one’s own blood (autohemotherapy), Erbisol, Pyrogenal and others can stimulate the body’s defenses.
Other injections used for bronchitis
One of the favorite drugs for many patients is a “hot injection” of calcium chloride or gluconate. It has an effect on various systems of the body, having anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects (for allergies, it is prescribed only in combination with other antiallergic drugs), and reduces capillary fragility.
Quite often, injections of ambroxol (Lazolvan, Mukolvan), which thins sputum, are also prescribed.
Features of the use of antibacterial drugs in the treatment of bronchitis in adults
When taking antibiotics prescribed by your doctor, you should follow a few simple rules.
- The course of taking the antibiotic should be continuous and last as many days as prescribed by the attending physician. If, on the 3rd or 5th day of bronchitis, the symptoms no longer bother you, then treatment should not be stopped under any circumstances. The doctor prescribed you to take an antibiotic for 7-10 days, which means this is what you need to do, since if you do not stop using the drug in a timely manner, microorganisms can develop resistance to this drug.
- Antibiotics must be taken strictly by the hour, following the number of doses given in the instructions and maintaining an equal amount of time between breaks. This measure is necessary to maintain a uniform concentration of the drug in the blood.
- It is necessary to observe whether the effect of taking the drug occurs. If there is no improvement within 3 days, it means that the antibiotic has no effect on this type of bacteria, and it will be appropriate to replace the medicine. The choice of an antibacterial drug in the treatment of bronchitis in adults should be made only by a doctor, and only after determining the type of bronchitis.
Injections for bronchitis in adults: names of drugs
Antiviral
Antiviral drugs are designed to target the underlying cause of the disease. The most commonly used is Cycloferon, which stimulates the activity of the immune system.
Antibiotics
Antibiotic therapy is prescribed if more than three days have passed since the onset of the disease. The effectiveness of antiviral drugs is questionable. Antibiotic therapy is needed for acute forms of pathology, chronic and obstructive exacerbation.
The most common antibiotics are third or fourth generation cephalosporins - Ceftriaxone, fluoroquinolones - Levofloxacin. The popularity of these drugs is explained by their affordable price and extended spectrum of action of the drugs. Sometimes doctors resort to penicillins, but these drugs have lost their relevance due to the reduced sensitivity of pathogens to them.
They help the body during acute pathology and chronic process. The most commonly prescribed drug is sodium salicylate. This drug lowers the temperature and relieves inflammation. For bronchitis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also used - analogues of Diclofenac, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. Calcium gluconate for bronchitis also fights inflammation and potentiates the effect of antibiotics. The drug is injected into a vein.
Bronchodilators
These medications help relieve shortness of breath. They are indicated for chronic or obstructive bronchitis. The most popular representative of the bronchodilator group is Eufillin, which expands the lumen of the bronchi, improves sputum drainage, and fights shortness of breath.
These include “Lazolvan”, “Carbocisteine”, “Acetylcysteine”. Typically, these drugs are not prescribed parenterally, but orally. They require adherence to a strict drinking regime - at least two liters of water per day.
Medicines from this group fight the signs and symptoms of bronchospasm, obstruction, and improve sputum discharge. Indications for the use of bronchodilators include chronicity of the process, bronchial asthma, and obstructive bronchitis. Representatives of the group are “Izadrin”, “Eufillin”, “Aerofillin”, “Teopek”.
Bronchitis is an inflammatory process that develops in the bronchi. There may be several types, each of which has distinctive symptoms and specific treatment that a doctor must prescribe. Remember that self-medicating such a serious disease as bronchitis at home is simply dangerous!
Types and symptoms
The inflammatory process in question can occur in the following forms:
- purulent - sputum released when coughing contains an admixture of pus; You can learn more about how to treat purulent bronchitis in adults by reading the article.
- purulent-serous - characterized by the release of specific sputum, distinguished by its gray color and the presence of “fibers”/impregnations of pus;
- fibrinous - the patient’s sputum is very viscous and thick, it is difficult to separate, which provokes a narrowing of the bronchial lumen and, as a consequence, attacks of bronchospasm;
- hemorrhagic - the inflammatory process affects the blood vessels, thins their walls and blood enters the sputum;
- catarrhal is the most common form of bronchitis, characterized by the accumulation of large amounts of mucus in the upper sections of the bronchi.
How chronic obstructive bronchitis is treated with modern means is indicated in the article.
How chronic bronchitis is treated with antibiotics is worth reading for information in this article.
Due to the characteristics of age, in particular, the weakening of general immunity, it is important not to trigger the disease in elderly patients. Therefore, this category of patients is recommended to take antibiotics 2-3 days after the onset of the disease (but only when the previous treatment does not produce tangible results).
Initially, it is recommended to take broad-spectrum drugs that do not have a negative effect on the intestines. These medications include the macrolides Hemomycin or the penicillin drug Flemoxin.
Treatment tactics for bronchitis
- Treatment of acute bronchitis with antibiotics is prescribed only in cases of possible complications. The main drugs of choice are Amoxicillin and Erythromycin.
- Treatment of chronic bronchitis in adults occurs by prescribing penicillin medications: Augmentin, Flemoclav, Amoxicillin, Amoxiclav. Also, drugs from the macrolide group - Rovamycin, Azithromycin - have a positive effect.
- Treatment of the obstructive form of bronchitis in adults occurs by prescribing macrolides, fluoroquinolones and aminopenicillin antibiotics - Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, Sumamed, Ciprofloxacin, Moxifloxacin.
- Treatment of bronchitis without first submitting sputum for analysis is carried out using broad-spectrum antibiotics.
- Treatment of bronchitis in older people is impossible without antibiotics. In the first place, the drugs of choice are Azithromycin, Flemoxin, Rovamycin. On the second, there are cephalosporin drugs: Cefepime, Ceftriaxone, Cefazolin.
Causes of severe dry cough in adults
According to statistics, one in ten adults on the planet suffers from attacks of dry cough for one reason or another. The problem of correct diagnosis is aggravated by the fact that sometimes there is not one, but several reasons for the occurrence of this symptom:
- Pathologies of the upper respiratory organs;
- Allergic environmental factors (house dust, animal hair, plant pollen, odors of household chemicals and cosmetics, polluted atmosphere);
- Gastric reflux;
- Smoking;
- Injuries;
- Bronchial asthma and whooping cough.
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There are a number of diseases that, if used incorrectly or limitedly, can cause a non-productive cough:
- Heart failure;
- Aortic aneurysm;
- Neurological diseases;
- Diabetes;
- Tuberculosis;
- Bacterial pneumonia;
- Oncology of the respiratory organs;
- Pneumonia;
- Chronical bronchitis;
- ARVI.
- Inflammation of the thyroid gland.
To make a correct diagnosis, after listening, a blood test, allergen tests and fluorography are done. If the reason is still unclear, then you should consult with other specialists: an ENT doctor, a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, a neurologist, a phthisiatrician (a tuberculosis specialist).
Rules for treatment with antibacterial drugs
- Write down or remember which antibiotics you have taken before, and be sure to tell your doctor about it!
- Don't self-medicate!
- If after taking an antibiotic there is no improvement, then ask your doctor to take a bacteriological test again!
- Follow the dosage, frequency and time of taking antibiotics!
- Do not stop treatment immediately after a noticeable improvement in your well-being!
- Do not change the dosage without consulting your doctor!
- Follow the correct diet!
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