Bronchitis duration largely depends on the cause. The causes can either be as a result of bacteria and viruses. Other causes include smoking and inhaling harmful substances. Bronchitis caused by smoking can take longer to heal than that caused by pathogens. This can only be completely healed if one stops the smoking habit.
Tar smoked in piles up in the airways causing an inflammation. If not taken care of, it can progress to other more serious conditions such as pneumonia, asthma and cancer. Bronchitis duration as a result of viruses does not last for more than a week. The symptoms of bronchitis as a result of viruses most of the time do not require any medication. Bacteria infections need to be medicated using antibiotics.
Bronchitis duration for this kind of infection can take long err. A person who has the bronchitis disease first starts experiencing a dry cough. This cough is usually severe enough to wake you up at night. This is followed by the other symptoms of bronchitis. These are fever, fatigue and headaches. After a few days, the dry cough progresses to become a productive one. The productive cough is the reason why one starts experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing and chest pains.
Bronchitis duration for all these symptoms apart from the expectorant cough is a few days. The cough can go on for almost a month. If it takes more than a month, one should go for more diagnosis from an ear, nose and throat doctor. This is to rule out the presence of other conditions other than the bronchitis. This cough if not treated can progress to asthma. Prevention measures should also be taken to avoid bronchitis.