J20.9
DESCRIPTION
Acute airways infections, mostly of viral origin, accompanied by cough, sputum production, and sometimes a burning retrosternal chest pain in patients with otherwise healthy lungs.
Clinical features:
- initially: non-productive cough
- later: productive cough with yellow or greenish sputum
Viral bronchitis is usually part of an upper respiratory viral infection. It may be accompanied by other manifestations of viral infections. It is important to exclude underlying bronchiectasis or an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis in adults.
Antibiotics are not indicated in acute bronchitis in the absence of underlying COPD.