The diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is obtained from a history of smoking and the production of sputum with the cough most days of the week, for 3 months, in 2 successive years. Chest x-rays are obtained to exclude other pathology. In a smoker, any change in a chronic cough and any new cough warrant further evaluation. Smoking cessation can completely resolve the cough associated with chronic bronchitis. See the section on COPD for a complete discussion of smoking cessation.
Bronchodilators can help the cough as well.
It is suspected as a cause of chronic cough most often when there is an abnormal CXR and a history of smoking. Abnormal CXR dictates that a biopsy be performed to obtain a sample of the abnormal tissue for analysis. When the CXR is normal and lung cancer is suspected, a CT scan of the chest may be obtained. Bronchoscopy is often the next diagnostic test in patients with normal radiographic studies. When a foreign body is suspected as the cause of chronic cough, fiberoptic bronchoscopy is usually performed.