How to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia

Viruses cause the development of pneumonia is very rare and only people with existing serious diseases of the immune system – primary or secondary immunodeficiencies that may occur in the treatment of cancer. Typically, pneumonia or bronchitis can occur in the form of complications after acute respiratory illness, Influenza, etc.

To distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia can be the degree of violation of the General condition of the patient – with bronchitise more pronounced cough with difficult expectoration during the first days, while pneumonia is more common symptoms of intoxication. Patients with pneumonia often appear violation of tissue respiration, which is manifested by the appearance of various degree of blue in the face exposed areas of the face (ear lobes, tip of the nose) or nail phalanges of the hands and feet. For patients with bronchitisohms is more typical of the feeling of lack of air, which is due to spasm of the muscles of the bronchi of different caliber.

When bronchitise chest pain often localized behind the breastbone – this is due to hacking and unproductive cough associated with tiny tears in the mucous membrane of the bronchi. In pneumonia the chest pain is localized in half of the chest, which develops the inflammatory process is due to the fact that inflammation of the lungs in the process necessarily involves the serous membrane that covers the lungs from the outside and gives easy opportunity to slide on the inner surface of the chest.

Fever, General intoxication phenomena, headache, pains in the limbs, heaviness in the lower back may appear in the pneumonia, and bronchitise – they occur due to exposure of toxins are produced by microorganisms.

But the most reliable way to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia – chest x-ray, which will help pinpoint the diagnosis.