Bronchitis vs. Pneumonia: What Are the Differences and Similarities?
Acute bronchitis is a condition in which the lining of your bronchial tubes becomes inflamed. These are the passages that carry air to and from your lungs. This condition usually develops as a result of a viral infection like a cold or the flu, and it typically gets better in about one to two weeks.
It is different than chronic bronchitis, which is a condition that does not go away and is marked by a recurring cough and other symptoms that can be managed but not cured.
Chronic bronchitis is less likely to be mistaken for pneumonia than acute bronchitis.
Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs. The cause can be bacterial, viral, or fungal. When you have pneumonia, the air sacs of the lungs (alveoli) fill up with fluid or pus.
While anyone can get pneumonia, some people — such as children, the elderly, people with asthma, and individuals with chronic diseases — have an increased risk of developing it.
Your risk of getting pneumonia is higher if you spend a lot of time in a crowded environment such as military barracks or nursing homes, or around infected animals. Cigarette smoking and using drugs or alcohol also put you at higher risk. Conditions that weaken your immune system may also increase your pneumonia risk, as can lung diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, or COPD.
Both bronchitis and pneumonia involve inflammation in the chest. The key difference is that the inflammation occurs in different parts of the chest.
That said, both conditions share some common symptoms:
- Cough (often accompanied by the production of mucus)
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath that can get worse when you’re active
- Fever and chills
Bronchitis can also cause chest discomfort and wheezing.
Pneumonia, meanwhile, can bring on these symptoms not usually linked to bronchitis:
- Excessive sweating and clammy skin
- Sharp pain in the chest, especially when breathing deeply or coughing
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of energy
- Confusion
- Nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting
While the symptoms of bronchitis or pneumonia can range from mild to serious enough to require hospitalization, symptoms such as fever, breathing problems, and chest pain tend to be more severe with pneumonia.
In people with pneumonia, the alveoli fill with pus and other fluids and prevent oxygen from reaching the bloodstream. When there’s too little oxygen in the blood, the body cannot function properly, increasing the risk of death.
