Bronchitis vs. Pneumonia: The Difference Between Them

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Paul Boyce, MD on December 18, 2022

• Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis
• When to Call Your Doctor for Bronchitis
• Symptoms of Pneumonia
• When to Call Your Doctor for Pneumonia
• What Causes Bronchitis?
• What Causes Pneumonia?
• Bronchitis Treatments
• Pneumonia Treatments
• More

When a cold or the flu sets in, you probably know how it’s going to unfold. It starts maybe with that scratch in the back of your throat. You start to feel run-down. Next thing you know, you’re parked in front of the television with a box of tissues.

But when it comes to bronchitis and pneumonia, it might be a little harder to know what’s going on and how to tell them apart.

Bronchitis is when your bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs, get infected and swollen. There are two kinds:

• Acute bronchitis. This lasts a few weeks and usually goes away on its own.
• Chronic bronchitis. It’s more serious, and you’re more likely to get it if you smoke. In this article, we’re looking at acute bronchitis.

Pneumonia is another infection in your lungs, but instead of the bronchial tubes, you get it in tiny air sacs in your lungs called alveoli. It can be mild, but sometimes serious, especially for the very young, adults 65 or older, and people with weaker immune systems.

Learn more about these two conditions – see how they are alike and how they are different:

You may have various problems with breathing, such as:

• Chest congestion, where your chest feels full or clogged
• Coughing — you may cough up a lot of mucus that’s clear, white, yellow, or green
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing or a whistling sound when you breathe

You may also have some of the typical cold or flu symptoms, such as:

• Body aches
• Chills
• Feeling wiped out
• Low fever
• Runny, stuffy nose
• Sore throat

Even after the other symptoms are gone, the cough can last for a few weeks as your bronchial tubes heal and the swelling goes down.

Call your doctor if your cough:

• Brings up mucus that thickens or darkens in color
• Keeps you awake at night
• Lasts more than 3 weeks

You’ll also want to call your doctor if you have a cough and:

• A foul-tasting fluid in our mouth (this could be reflux)
• Fever over 100.4 F
• Wheezing or shortness of breath

Pneumonia symptoms can be mild or severe based on what causes it, your age, and your overall health. The most common symptoms are:

• Cough (you might bring up yellow, green, or even bloody mucus)
• Fever
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath (for some people, this happens only when they climb stairs)

You may also have:

• Chest pain (you might get a stabbing or sharp pain that’s worse when you cough or take a deep breath)
• Confusion (more common for adults 65 and older)
• Run-down feeling
• Headache
• Heavy sweating and clammy, damp skin
• Throwing up or feeling like you might

Call your doctor if you have a cough that won’t go away or you’re coughing up pus. Other symptoms that could spur a call:

• Chest pain
• Fever that stays at 102 F or higher
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath as you go about your day
• Trouble breathing
• Unable to keep liquids down

Most often, the same viruses that give you a cold or the flu also cause bronchitis. Sometimes though, bacteria are to blame.

In both cases, as your body fights off the germs, your bronchial tubes swell and produce more mucus. That means you have smaller openings for air to flow, which can make it harder to breathe.

Pneumonia can be caused by:

• Bacteria
• Certain chemicals
• Fungi
• Mycoplasmas, which are like bacteria and give you milder symptoms (sometimes called “walking pneumonia”)
• Viruses (the same ones that cause colds and the flu can also give you pneumonia)

As your body fights off the germs, your lungs’ air sacs swell and may fill with fluid or pus, much like your bronchial tubes swell and fill with mucus when you have bronchitis.

Most of the time, acute bronchitis goes away on its own within a couple of weeks. If it’s bacterial, your doctor may give you antibiotics. If you have asthma, allergies, or you’re wheezing, your doctor may suggest an inhaler.

It’s best to avoid cough medicine unless your cough keeps you awake at night. Bringing up mucus actually helps you because it clears the gunk out of your lungs. Avoid giving cough medicine to children younger than 4 years. For children 4 and older, check with your doctor first.

Here are some things you can do to ease your symptoms:

• Drink a lot of water. Eight to 12 glasses a day help thin out your mucus and makes it easier to cough it up.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers with ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or aspirin to help with pain, but avoid giving aspirin to children. You can use acetaminophen (Tylenol) to help with pain and fever.
• Use a humidifier or try steam to loosen up the mucus; a hot shower can work well.

If it’s caused by bacteria, you’ll get an antibiotic. If it’s caused by a virus, you may get an antiviral drug. And if it’s really severe, you may need to go to the hospital, though that’s not as common.

To help ease your symptoms, you can do many of the same things as with bronchitis:

• Drink plenty of fluids
• Get as much rest as you can
• Take pain relievers for pain and fever

And again, it’s best to avoid cough medicines. In fact, there’s actually very little proof that they can help with the cough you get from pneumonia.

Pneumonia usually runs its course within a few weeks with treatment, but you may be tired for as long as a month.

Top Picks

Bronchitis vs.

Pneumonia: The Difference Between Them

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Paul Boyce, MD on December 18, 2022

• Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis
• When to Call Your Doctor for Bronchitis
• Symptoms of Pneumonia
• When to Call Your Doctor for Pneumonia
• What Causes Bronchitis?
• What Causes Pneumonia?
• Bronchitis Treatments
• Pneumonia Treatments
• More

When a cold or the flu sets in, you probably know how it’s going to unfold. It starts maybe with that scratch in the back of your throat. You start to feel run-down. Next thing you know, you’re parked in front of the television with a box of tissues.

But when it comes to bronchitis and pneumonia, it might be a little harder to know what’s going on and how to tell them apart.

Bronchitis is when your bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs, get infected and swollen. There are two kinds:

• Acute bronchitis. This lasts a few weeks and usually goes away on its own.
• Chronic bronchitis. It’s more serious, and you’re more likely to get it if you smoke. In this article, we’re looking at acute bronchitis.

Pneumonia is another infection in your lungs, but instead of the bronchial tubes, you get it in tiny air sacs in your lungs called alveoli. It can be mild, but sometimes serious, especially for the very young, adults 65 or older, and people with weaker immune systems.

Learn more about these two conditions – see how they are alike and how they are different:

You may have various problems with breathing, such as:

• Chest congestion, where your chest feels full or clogged
• Coughing — you may cough up a lot of mucus that’s clear, white, yellow, or green
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing or a whistling sound when you breathe

You may also have some of the typical cold or flu symptoms, such as:

• Body aches
• Chills
• Feeling wiped out
• Low fever
• Runny, stuffy nose
• Sore throat

Even after the other symptoms are gone, the cough can last for a few weeks as your bronchial tubes heal and the swelling goes down.

Call your doctor if your cough:

• Brings up mucus that thickens or darkens in color
• Keeps you awake at night
• Lasts more than 3 weeks

You’ll also want to call your doctor if you have a cough and:

• A foul-tasting fluid in our mouth (this could be reflux)
• Fever over 100.4 F
• Wheezing or shortness of breath

Pneumonia symptoms can be mild or severe based on what causes it, your age, and your overall health. The most common symptoms are:

• Cough (you might bring up yellow, green, or even bloody mucus)
• Fever
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath (for some people, this happens only when they climb stairs)

You may also have:

• Chest pain (you might get a stabbing or sharp pain that’s worse when you cough or take a deep breath)
• Confusion (more common for adults 65 and older)
• Run-down feeling
• Headache
• Heavy sweating and clammy, damp skin
• Throwing up or feeling like you might

Call your doctor if you have a cough that won’t go away or you’re coughing up pus. Other symptoms that could spur a call:

• Chest pain
• Fever that stays at 102 F or higher
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath as you go about your day
• Trouble breathing
• Unable to keep liquids down

Most often, the same viruses that give you a cold or the flu also cause bronchitis. Sometimes though, bacteria are to blame.

In both cases, as your body fights off the germs, your bronchial tubes swell and produce more mucus. That means you have smaller openings for air to flow, which can make it harder to breathe.

Pneumonia can be caused by:

• Bacteria
• Certain chemicals
• Fungi
• Mycoplasmas, which are like bacteria and give you milder symptoms (sometimes called “walking pneumonia”)
• Viruses (the same ones that cause colds and the flu can also give you pneumonia)

As your body fights off the germs, your lungs’ air sacs swell and may fill with fluid or pus, much like your bronchial tubes swell and fill with mucus when you have bronchitis.

Most of the time, acute bronchitis goes away on its own within a couple of weeks. If it’s bacterial, your doctor may give you antibiotics. If you have asthma, allergies, or you’re wheezing, your doctor may suggest an inhaler.

It’s best to avoid cough medicine unless your cough keeps you awake at night. Bringing up mucus actually helps you because it clears the gunk out of your lungs. Avoid giving cough medicine to children younger than 4 years. For children 4 and older, check with your doctor first.

Here are some things you can do to ease your symptoms:

• Drink a lot of water. Eight to 12 glasses a day help thin out your mucus and makes it easier to cough it up.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers with ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or aspirin to help with pain, but avoid giving aspirin to children. You can use acetaminophen (Tylenol) to help with pain and fever.
• Use a humidifier or try steam to loosen up the mucus; a hot shower can work well.

If it’s caused by bacteria, you’ll get an antibiotic. If it’s caused by a virus, you may get an antiviral drug. And if it’s really severe, you may need to go to the hospital, though that’s not as common.

To help ease your symptoms, you can do many of the same things as with bronchitis:

• Drink plenty of fluids
• Get as much rest as you can
• Take pain relievers for pain and fever

And again, it’s best to avoid cough medicines. In fact, there’s actually very little proof that they can help with the cough you get from pneumonia.

Pneumonia usually runs its course within a few weeks with treatment, but you may be tired for as long as a month.

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Bronchitis: symptoms and treatment.

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The main factors contributing to the disease of bronchitis may be an improperly treated cold, infection of the body with bacteria or viruses. Additional causes are inhalation of dust, tobacco smoke, fumes of toxic chemicals, as well as an unhealthy lifestyle, negative habits, reduced immunity, constant overwork, chronic stress, taking certain medications, and much more.

Tendency to bronchitis may be due to structural characteristics of the respiratory system. For example, with narrow gaps in the bronchi, even a slight inflammation contributes to the formation and accumulation of sputum, and this is an ideal environment for the development of harmful microorganisms.

Types and symptoms of bronchitis

There are several types of bronchitis. Each of them has its own symptoms. And depending on the specific type, the treatment of bronchitis is prescribed.

Acute bronchitis usually occurs in autumn and winter. It is characterized by symptoms similar to colds:

• lethargy, weakness, fatigue, decreased performance;
• sore throat;
• dry cough, which then “transforms” into a wet one. The color of the mucus is transparent, with a hint of yellowness, greenish;
• in some cases – an increase in temperature to 38-40 degrees;
• increased sweating, chills;
• when drying in the chest, pronounced wheezing is heard.

In acute bronchitis, in case of a severe course of the disease, hemoptysis, pus discharge, and difficulty in breathing can be observed. The average duration of acute bronchitis is two weeks.

Infections can also provoke bronchitis. In infectious bronchitis observed:

• dry cough that becomes wet after a while. With moderate bronchitis, the cough is strong, breathing is difficult;
• weakness, high fatigue;
• pain and discomfort in the chest area;
• fever;
• when listening to the sternum, signs such as wheezing and hard breathing are noticeable.

There are also allergic bronchitis. They are diagnosed on the following grounds:

• dry cough;
• dry rales;
• body temperature does not rise;
• inspiratory dyspnoea;
• cough does not produce purulent sputum;
• disappearance after removal of the allergen.

This type of bronchitis is caused by direct contact with an allergen – plant pollen, perfume, wool, household chemicals or others.

Possible also chemical bronchitis. It occurs when chemical elements that irritate the mucous membranes enter the respiratory system. Its most common signs are:

• severe agonizing cough;
• headache;
• chest pain;
• shortness of breath to the point of developing symptoms of respiratory failure;
• harsh dry rales;
• mucous membranes become bluish.

Chronic bronchitis is a disease that lasts for several months. At the same time, it can be repeated annually, and each time the manifestation of symptoms is observed for an increasingly longer time. Chronic bronchitis develops with prolonged exposure to the body of provoking factors – tobacco smoke, toxic substances and others.

Possible complications after the disease

In case of improper treatment, transfer of the disease on the legs, weakening of the immune system, the disease can cause serious complications. These include pneumonia up to the septic process, obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma. The latter is most often manifested in patients prone to allergic reactions. The result of refusal of treatment or improper therapy is also chronic bronchitis. If a person leads a healthy lifestyle, and the treatment is chosen correctly, health is fully restored in two to three weeks.

How bronchitis is treated

Treatment of bronchitis should be complex. It is aimed at eliminating the infection that caused the disease, reducing swelling of the mucous membranes, clearing the bronchial lumen from accumulated mucus, and eliminating the symptoms of intoxication. The disease is treated with pharmaceuticals, physiotherapy, auxiliary methods.

For the treatment of bronchitis, drugs are prescribed:

• antibacterial or antiviral – depending on the nature of the disease;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which not only relieve inflammation, but also pain and fever;
• mucolytic preparations that thin sputum;
• expectorants – increasing the secretion of mucus during a wet cough;
• restorative preparations.

Treatment of all types of bronchitis also includes oxygen therapy, physiotherapy procedures (electrophoresis, UHF, magnetotherapy, paraffin applications and others), inhalations, irrigation of the mucous membranes of the throat and nose with special sprays.

Patients who carefully treat their health treat bronchitis with auxiliary methods – therapeutic exercises, massages and others.

Disease prevention

The best prevention of all types of bronchitis is the elimination of all adverse factors that can cause the disease. You should lead a healthy lifestyle, give up smoking and other bad habits, establish a diet, and practice moderate physical activity. During epidemics of viral and infectious colds, it is necessary to follow the recommendations on the organization of preventive measures.

Experienced specialists of the Medcom clinic network will help you to defeat bronchitis at any stage of the disease.

Chest pain | FBUZ Medical and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.

Official website

Home / Bulletin / Chest pain

Chest pain is one of the most common complaints presented by patients when they visit a doctor. There are many reasons leading to this problem. We will only talk about the most common of them.

Causes

To make it easier to understand the causes of chest pain, we will divide them into four main groups:

• Diseases of the respiratory system
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Diseases of the heart and great vessels
• Diseases of the digestive system

See how many different specialists a person with complaints of chest pain should see to determine its cause: a pulmonologist, a cardiologist, a neurologist and a gastroenterologist. Therefore, it would seem to me more reasonable and correct, when this complaint appears, to first turn to a competent therapist, so that he can figure out which organ system is the cause of the pain, and then advise which specialist to contact.

Since I am a pulmonologist, I will try to answer the question:

When do chest pains occur in bronchopulmonary diseases?

Why the lungs “do not hurt”

There are no pain receptors in the lung tissue, so pain in diseases of the bronchopulmonary system occurs only if the sheets covering the lungs – the pleura – are affected. No wonder the pain in these diseases is called “pleural pain”.
Another cause of chest pain in bronchopulmonary diseases can be tracheobronchitis.

Mechanism of “pleural pains”

In a healthy state, during breathing, two layers of the pleura (one covers the lung, the other lines the chest wall from the inside) slide over each other’s surfaces, which allows the lungs to collapse and straighten out freely and painlessly when breathing. When these sheets become inflamed or growths appear on them, during breathing, they rub against each other due to the resulting “irregularities” (roughness). As a result – pain with deep breathing and coughing.

Causes of “pleural pain”

• The first and most common cause of “pleural pain” is inflammation of the pleura itself and/or the lung covered by it. No wonder some types of pneumonia are called pleuropneumonia., That is, inflammation of the lungs and pleura.
• The cause of “pleural pain” can also be tumor diseases of the pleura and lungs.
• Pneumothorax (air entering the pleural cavity) can also cause pain.

Features of “pleural pain”

“Pleural pain” is most often unilateral, acute, aggravated by deep inspiration and coughing. The pain is sometimes so severe that it forces the person to take only shallow breaths.
A person accepts the so-called “forced position”, that is, he tries not to breathe on the side of the chest where the source of pain is located. To do this, he lies on the affected side or presses it with his hands, thus limiting the mobility of the chest.