What Are the Symptoms of Bronchitis?
Your bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs, can get infected and swollen. When that happens, it’s called bronchitis. Symptoms of this condition include a nagging cough, and you might cough up mucus that’s yellow or green.
There are two types of bronchitis:
Acute bronchitis. It is the more common type. Symptoms last a few weeks, but it doesn’t usually cause any problems beyond that.
Chronic bronchitis. This keeps coming back or doesn’t go away at all. It’s more serious and is part of a group of conditions called “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” or COPD. You're more likely to have this if you smoke.
Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis
Symptoms of acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis usually starts when you have inflammation in your airways due to a cold, COVID-19, or other respiratory infections. In fact, you might hear it called a chest cold.
Its symptoms are similar to those of other conditions that affect your lungs and breathing. Bronchitis often starts with cold symptoms — your nose is runny, your throat sore, and you feel run-down. But one of the hallmark signs of bronchitis is a hacking cough that lasts 5 days or more. Here are some other symptoms:
You usually recover from acute bronchitis in about 7-10 days, though your cough may last a bit longer.
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis
If your symptoms last longer than 3 months, you may have a chronic case. Your symptoms may improve, then worsen, from time to time. But they never really go away. Cold weather can set them off.
The symptoms are similar to those of acute bronchitis and include:
- A stubborn cough that produces phlegm, lasts at least 3 months, and happens at least 2 years in a row
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness or discomfort
- Abdominal pain
When to Call the Doctor About Bronchitis Symptoms
See your doctor if you have symptoms of acute bronchitis and also have ongoing lung, heart, or other medical problems or are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Also call your doctor if:
- Your cough is so frequent or bad that you can’t sleep well or do your daily activities.
- You cough up blood or mucus.
- Your cough lasts longer than a week. In otherwise healthy people, a cough from acute bronchitis can last 3 weeks.
- Your mucus becomes darker, thicker, or increases in volume.
- Your cough has a barking sound and makes it hard to speak.
- You also have unexplained weight loss.
Call 911 if you have chest pain or difficulty breathing.
Conditions with Similar Symptoms to Bronchitis
A cold isn't the only condition with symptoms that can look like those of bronchitis. Others include:
Asthma
Like bronchitis, an asthma attack can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and a feeling of tightness in the chest. But asthma doesn't cause a cough that produces mucus, a runny or stuffy nose, chest pain, fever or chills, or body aches — which are all symptoms of bronchitis.
It's possible to have both conditions at the same time. Having asthma puts you at a higher risk of getting bronchitis.
Bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis is permanent scarring of the airways caused by repeated or serious infections or lung disease.Both bronchiectasis and bronchitis can cause:
- Coughing
- Mucus in the lungs
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
Bronchiectasis sometimes causes clubbed fingernails (swollen fingers with curved nails) and coughing up blood.
Bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis is an inflammation of smaller airways (bronchioles) that branch off the bronchi. It's caused by an infection, usually respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and is most likely to affect young children. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, and irritability. It usually clears up in about a week.
COVID-19
COVID is one of the infections that can trigger acute bronchitis. The two conditions also share several symptoms, including:
- Coughing
- Trouble breathing
- A sore throat
- Fatigue
- Fever
COVID doesn't usually cause wheezing, though. And it can cause you to lose your senses of smell and taste, which usually doesn't happen with bronchitis.
Emphysema
Emphysema is a condition that happens when air sacs in your lungs, called alveoli, are damaged. The damage may come from long-term smoking, pollution, or infections. Your genes can also play a role. Its symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, a lasting cough, and increased mucus.
Like chronic bronchitis, emphysema is a type of COPD. You can have the two conditions together.
Heart failure
Chronic heart failure, which happens when your heart isn't pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs, can cause discomfort or pressure in your chest. It can also cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and a long-lasting cough. Other symptoms may include swelling of your legs, ankles, feet, and belly, as well as a fast or irregular heartbeat. See your doctor if you have these symptoms.
Pneumonia
While bronchitis is inflammation of the airways to your lungs, pneumonia is a more serious inflammation of the lungs themselves. It's caused by infection with a virus, bacteria, or fungi. Pneumonia causes swelling and fluid in your lung sacs (alveoli), making it harder to breathe. Along with coughing and trouble breathing, symptoms may include a high fever, chills, and nausea.
Any time you have a fever above 100.4 F and a loss of appetite, wheezing or shortness of breath, and general achiness, you should see your doctor right away.
Takeaways
You get bronchitis when the bronchial tubes that carry air to your lungs get infected and swollen. This leads to coughing, excess mucus, and other symptoms. Bronchitis can be acute, which means it lasts for a short time, or chronic, which means it lasts at least 3 months and keeps coming back. See your doctor if you have a cough that lasts longer than a week.
Symptoms of Bronchitis FAQs
How long do acute bronchitis symptoms last?
In most cases, symptoms of acute bronchitis last from a few days to a couple of weeks and go away on their own. But recovery could take up to 6 weeks. See your doctor if you have symptoms for longer than 3 weeks.
Do chronic bronchitis symptoms go away?
While symptoms of chronic bronchitis get better from time to time, they never fully go away. The condition may get worse as time goes on.
Can bronchitis turn into pneumonia?
You could get an infection that causes both conditions. But bronchitis doesn’t normally turn into pneumonia.
Do you need antibiotics for bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is most often caused by a viral infection, which antibiotics can't treat. But if your doctor thinks a bacterial infection caused your bronchitis, they may recommend antibiotics.
