This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations in chronic bronchitis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Evaluation to assist in confirmation of the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis include (1):

  • CBC with differential
  • Serum procalcitonin – differentiate bacterial from non-bacterial
  • Chest x-ray – especially in elderly or when physical findings suggestive of pneumonia
  • Sputum culture – when bacterial infection is suspected
  • Other helpful tests – oxygen saturation, pulmonary function test

Investigations will usually demonstrate:

  • hypercapnia
  • hypoxaemia with polycythaemia
  • elevated plasma bicarbonate
  • sometimes severe nocturnal hypoxaemia
  • moderate airways obstruction
  • approximately normal lung capacity
  • little or no reduction in transfer factor

Reference:

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.