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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
To diagnose bronchitis, your doctor may take the following approaches:
- Use a stethoscope to listen for wheezing and other abnormal sounds in your lungs
- Have you get a chest X-ray
- Have you undergo blood tests
- Analyze a sputum culture — a test that checks for the presence of bacteria in sputum produced when you cough
- Have you take a pulmonary function test (PFT), to rule out other causes for your symptoms
Pulmonary function test
This test checks for signs of asthma or emphysema. During a pulmonary function test, you blow into a device called a spirometer, which measures the volume of air in your lungs after you've taken a deep breath and blown it out. The spirometer also shows how quickly you can get air out of your lungs.
The test is painless and takes just a few minutes. If you have repeated bouts of bronchitis and your doctor doesn't suggest a pulmonary function test, ask to have one done.
- What is bronchitis? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/brnchi/brnchi_whatis.html. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- Acute bronchitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec05/ch051/ch051a.html. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-ppv.pdf. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Chronic bronchitis. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2058829&content_id={C79758B1-B58D-45C4-851D-2FD12958D1E3}¬oc=1. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Wei J, et al. Chinese medicinal herbs for acute bronchitis (review). Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews. 2008:CD004560.
- Agbabiaka T, et al. Pelargonium sidoides for acute bronchitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytomedicine 2008;15:378.
- Long MD, et al. Extra-esophageal GERD: Clinical dilemma of epidemiology versus clinical practice. Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2007;9:195.
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-PneumoConjugate.pdf. Accessed Jan. 25, 2009.
