With the onset of cold weather, people are faced with colds. It often happens that a sick person for various reasons does not want to visit a doctor and is self-medicating. Every day the process is aggravated, and, instead of curing a cold at an early stage, it is necessary to deal with pneumonia over time. In order not to expose himself to such a danger, everyone should know how to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia in an adult and a child . This will be discussed in the article.
What is bronchitis?
The bronchi are an integral part of the respiratory system. They have the appearance of tubules that bind the trachea to the lung tissue. The trachea is connected to two main bronchi, which have many branches, and form a whole network of different ducts, with which air is transported to the lungs.
On the edge of this tube is placed a tiny "pouch" - the alveolus. With this element, oxygen from the air is in the blood. When a person becomes ill with bronchitis, an inflammatory process develops in the bronchi, a lot of mucus is secreted into the lumen of the bronchitis.
Bronchitis progresses very rapidly if the mucous membranes are subject to permanent damage by various elements that are in the air.
What can cause bronchitis
Inflammation in the bronchi is mainly triggered by various viruses (the same ones that cause acute respiratory illness and flu) or a repeated bacterial infection. Also, this disease can affect a person who inhales substances that cause lung irritation. Such pathogens include various toxic chemicals, dust, ammonia and smoke.
Manifestations of bronchitis are very often observed in young children. They are much more susceptible to respiratory diseases than adults, since their respiratory system has narrower paths. Immunity is not yet fully ripe and mature, therefore it is not able to protect the body from various infections.
Manifestations of bronchitis
How to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia? Acute bronchitis is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- A cough that does not stop for a long period of time. At first it is dry and causes pain in the chest, then turns into wet with the discharge of mucus.
- Pain in the chest.
- Chills, accompanied by a slight increase in temperature.
- Wheezing when breathing.
- Dyspnea.
- Weakness and aches throughout the body.
What is pneumonia?
Despite the achievements of modern medicine, pneumonia today is a very common disease, which often ends in death. Inflammation of the lungs ranks first in mortality among all diseases caused by infections. Specialists cannot reduce the number of sick people for many years.
Pneumonia is characterized by an infectious inflammatory process in the tissues of the lungs. Infectious agents enter them through the respiratory tract or through the bloodstream, if there is another infectious disease. Due to the fact that the alveolus becomes inflamed and swells, it is difficult to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. The affected organ loses the ability to saturate the blood with oxygen. This leads to the fact that the body begins to feel oxygen starvation, which is accompanied by a very serious condition of the patient.
Manifestations of pneumonia
The symptoms of pneumonia and acute bronchitis are very similar. The disease begins with a dry cough, which gradually turns into a wet one, rales are observed, and body temperature rises.
How to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia? The main symptoms of pneumonia are:
- Lingering cough.
- Pain during coughing and deep breaths.
- Frequent intermittent breathing.
- Runny nose, nasal congestion.
- Dyspnea.
- Chills, accompanied by body temperature up to 40 ° C.
- Lethargy.
- Trembling voice.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Loss of appetite.
Bronchitis and pneumonia: differences
The symptoms of these two insidious diseases, as already mentioned, are very similar. But the nature and severity of symptoms makes it possible to determine what exactly a person is sick with - bronchitis or pneumonia.
Symptoms | Bronchitis | Pneumonia |
Temperature rise | Less than 38 ° C | Over 38 ° C |
Duration of fever | Up to three days | More than three days |
Nature of cough | Mostly dry, throat-free, without chest pain | Wet with sputum, deep, causes pain |
Cyanosis (blue skin) | Is absent | Most often observed |
Dyspnea | No | Is present |
Visible involvement in the breathing of additional muscles | Is absent | Is observed |
Intoxication, weakness | Not pronounced | Strongly expressed |
How else can you distinguish between diseases
What is the difference between bronchitis and pneumonia? Basically, bronchitis is characterized by wheezing, while pneumonia is dry or wet. Also, pneumonia is characterized in that with it the patient complains of a lack of appetite, insomnia and general intoxication of the body. An important point is that pneumonia progresses against the background of acute respiratory viral infections. The temperature can rise to 40 ° C.
If you listen to the chest with a special instrument (phonendoscope), then bronchitis will manifest itself as uniform wheezing over the entire surface of the lungs. And pneumonia is characterized by local wheezing over a specific area (for example, on the right side under the collarbone or on the left side under the scapula).
There are also certain differences that can be established using x-ray examination. The picture clearly shows whether there is a lesion of the lung tissue or not. If changes in the lungs are noticeable, this indicates the presence of pneumonia, if not, it is bronchitis.
Depending on the diagnosis, what treatment will be prescribed by the attending doctor. Most often, pneumonia acts as complications of bronchitis. Pneumonia can lead to dangerous complications such as pleurisy or pulmonary emphysema.
Features in children
How to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia in a child? Due to incomplete respiratory and immune systems, children are often exposed to these diseases. Consequently, the younger generation may experience serious complications already 2-3 days after the first signs of the disease appear. Symptoms of intoxication also progress much faster in children (the child becomes lethargic, complains of weakness, refuses to eat).
In no case do not self-medicate! For 1-2 days after the first signs of a cold, the baby should be taken to the doctor. He will examine him, listen to the lungs, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. If the child has a body temperature of over 38 ° C for 3 days, then the attending physician prescribes antibiotic therapy.
So, we found out how to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia at home. But you should not risk your health, self-medicate and wait for serious complications, since every day the process is aggravated and the disease progresses. Remember: only an experienced specialist can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the best treatment. Take care of your health and the health of your loved ones. Feel good!