Are Bronchitis And Pneumonia Interrelated?

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways in the lungs. When bronchioles (smaller tubes branching from bronchi) become inflamed it causes narrowing, constriction, and blockage of the airways, which leads to symptoms of bronchitis. Bronchitis can be acute, lasting less than six weeks, or chronic, recurring multiple times for more than two years.

Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs that causes the air sacs (alveoli) to become inflamed, and filled with fluid or pus. Symptoms of pneumonia include cough, fever, chills, and difficulty in breathing. This infection is spread via, coughing, sneezing, touching or even breathing, and at times people who do not show any symptoms might also spread this illness.

Bacteria, viruses, or fungi can cause pneumonia. Common causes include:

• Flu viruses

• Cold viruses

• RSV virus (the top cause of pneumonia in babies age 1 or younger)

• Bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Both bronchitis and pneumonia affect the lungs, but the difference is that it affects different parts of the lungs.

Similarities in Bronchitis and Pneumonia

For respiratory infections like a cold or the flu, coughs are a common symptom. Cough is the body’s way of clearing irritants out of air passages to prevent an infection. Along with this shortness of breath, fatigue, fever and chills are similar for a person suffering from bronchitis or pneumonia. Mainly due to these common symptoms, bronchitis is often mistaken for pneumonia and vice versa. Bronchitis and pneumonia are independent of each other, which means that one doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.

The Difference in Causes and Symptoms

In both, viral and bacterial bronchitis, irritants enter the bronchial tubes and cause inflammation. Sometimes, a cold or respiratory infection can also turn into bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is caused because of frequent exposure to irritants such as smoke, dust, polluted air, etc. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, virus or fungi. Symptoms of pneumonia are often be more severe as compare to symptoms of bronchitis.

Symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis include:

• Blue lips from lack of oxygen

• Excessive sweating and clammy skin

• Suddenly feeling worse after cold or flu symptoms go away

• Sharp pain in the chest, especially when breathing deeply or coughing

• Headache

• Loss of appetite

• Lack of energy

• Confusion

• Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting

The Difference in Diagnosis and Treatment

The doctor may use the same way for diagnosing bronchitis or pneumonia. Depending on the symptoms, some tests like chest X-rays, spirometry, pulse oximetry (measuring the amount of oxygen in the blood) and sputum culture (analyzing the specific germs by taking a sample of phlegm) may be recommended by a doctor.

The treatment for bronchitis and pneumonia depends on its cause, if it is viral or bacterial. Bacterial pneumonia and acute bronchitis can be treated with antibiotics and for viral cases, the doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug. For chronic bronchitis, the doctor might recommend treatment to breathe better such as steroids to inhale, which can reduce the inflammation of the lungs.

Regardless of the causes and symptoms of bronchitis and pneumonia, these tips may be given by the doctor to speed up the healing process:

• Get plenty of rest

• Drink plenty of fluids

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol

• Take the prescribed anti-inflammatory medication to reduce fever and body aches

Can Bronchitis Lead To Pneumonia?

It is possible in some cases that bronchitis turns into pneumonia. It can happen when the infection spreads from the bronchi to the lungs, or another infection occurs. It is a rare case and might happen to people who have a weak immune system, or some other conditions that make them susceptible to infection.

Now that you understand about the difference in bronchitis and pneumonia, you can read on asthmatic bronchitis or What Is Bronchial Asthma.