Acute bronchitis

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Diagnostics:

  1. Chest X-ray: helps your doctor diagnose pneumonia and determine the extent and location of the infection (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

 Differential Diagnoses:

  1. Bacterial pneumonia: is an infection of the air sacs in one or both lungs which may fill with fluid or pus, causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing, dullness to percussion, decreased breath sound, fatigue. It is most commonly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae(Mayo Clinic, 2018). Since the patient appears to have most of these symptoms, this is a great possibility.
  2. Acute bronchitis: Acute bronchitis, often called a “chest cold,” is the most common type of bronchitis. It occurs when the airways of the lungs swell and produce mucus which makes one cough. It is caused by a virus and often occurs after an upper respiratory infection. Symptoms include sore throat, soreness in the chest, fever, coughing with or without mucus production, fatigue, mild headaches and watery eyes (CDC, 2017b). This can also be a possibility based on the patient’s symptoms.
  3. Asthma exacerbation: Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding the triggers that can cause an attack (CDC, 2017a). This can also be a possibility based on the patient’s symptoms.
  4. Bronchiectasis exacerbation: Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the airways (called bronchial tubes) that branch from the trachea into each lung become widened and inflamed. Such damage limits the ability of the airways to clear bacteria and mucus from the lungs, resulting in sputum production, cough, and shortness of breath. Bronchiectasis can be congenital or acquired as a result of an infection. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, weight loss, fatigue and chronic sinusitis (Mount Sinai, 2018). Based on these symptoms, this can be a possibility for patient diagnosis.
  5. COPD exacerbation: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiences long-term and progressive damage to their lungs. This affects air flow to the lungs. Symptoms include rapid shallow breathing, increasing amounts of mucus, which is often yellow, green, tan, or even blood-tinged, experiencing shortness of breath at rest or with minimal activity, such as walking from one room to another and wheezing more than usual (Healthline.com, 2018). Based on patient symptoms, this can also be a possibility for the patient condition.

References

Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel’s guide to

physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017a). Asthma. Retrieved October 9, 2018 from:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017b). Bronchitis. Retrieved October 9, 2018

from: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/bronchitis.html

Healthline.com (2018). COPD Exacerbation. Retrieved October 9, 2018 from:

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2012). Advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning.

Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mayo Clinic (2018). Pneumonia. Retrieved October 9, 2018 from:

Mount Sinai (2018). What is Bronchiectasis? Retrieved October 9, 2018 from: