Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
When to Seek Care
When you first start coughing, feel fatigued, and notice a low-grade fever, it can be hard to determine whether you have thecommon coldorbronchitis. A cold can potentially turn into bronchitis. Acute bronchitis, which lasts for seven to 10 days, is also known as achest cold.
Whereas a cold is a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis is a lower respiratory infection that affects thebronchial tubes—the airways that carry air to your lungs.A cold is felt in the nose and sinus area. Bronchitis is felt in the lungs.
Understanding the differences of bronchitis vs. a cold can help you determine what to do to get better and with when to see a healthcare provider.
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The symptoms of a cold and bronchitis often resemble each other. Both illnesses can cause coughing fits, low-grade fever, and fatigue. There are, however, some key differences.
The main symptom ofbronchitisis a productive cough. In other words, a cough that brings up yellow-grey mucus. If you have a cold, your cough will be dry. Since bronchitis is an inflammation of the lung’s airways, known as bronchial tubes, it mainly causes lung-related symptoms.
Other symptoms of bronchitis that arenotseen in the common cold include:
Coldshappen when the membranes that line the nose and throat become inflamed due to infection.Thus, colds cause upper respiratory symptoms like postnasal drip, in which mucus from your nose or sinuses drips down the back of your throat.You won’t experience postnasal drip with bronchitis.
Other symptoms of the common cold that arenotseen in bronchitis include:
Use the following chart to compare bronchitis vs. cold symptoms:
How Long Do Symptoms Last?
Cold symptomstypically begin with a runny nose with clearmucus. This mucus is a sign of your body washing the virus out from the infection site (your nose and sinuses). After a few days, the mucus may change to a white, yellow, or even green color. This is nothing to worry about; it is a sign that your body is fighting the infection. The runny nose and cough may continue (but decrease in severity) for 10 to 14 days.
Similarly,bronchitis symptomsare temporary and usually do not lead to permanent breathing difficulties. Bronchitis typically clears up in a week or 10 days because, with time, the immune system can fight off the infection and your airways return to normal.Bronchitis generally gets better on its own without treatment.
What Is a Cold?
Cold
Colds spread easily to others. There are two ways you can catch one:
While there are more than 200 viruses that can cause the common cold, the most common one is the rhinovirus.
Your risk of developing a cold increases when you socialize or spend time in crowded spaces without social distancing. Other factors that increase your risk include those that lower your immune system, such as stress, smoking, poor sleep quality, poor nutrition, and inadequate exercise.
Bronchitis
The most common cause of acute (short-term) bronchitis is a viral infection, although bacterial infections can sometimes lead to acute bronchitis as well.
In both cases, the cells that line the bronchi become infected. When the body tries to fight the infection, it causes the bronchial tubes to swell, resulting in coughing.
In many cases, bronchitis develops as a secondary infection after the immune system is already weakened due to another illness. For example, you may start out with a cold or flu, but if the viral infection spreads to your airways, bronchitis can develop.
Bronchitis itself isn’t contagious, but the viruses and bacteria that cause it are. For example, if you are sick with a cold and then develop bronchitis, your cold may spread to others. However, not everyone who catches the cold will develop bronchitis.
Just like the common cold, your risk of developing bronchitis increases when you spend time in crowded areas or in close contact with others.
Other factors that increase your risk of bronchitis include those that weaken your immune system or irritate your lungs. This includes smoking and exposure to lung irritants like secondhand smoke, dust, fumes, and air pollution.
There is no cure for the common cold or bronchitis.These conditions will clear up on their own. This means antibiotics are not necessary, nor are they recommended, even in cases of bacterial bronchitis.
However, you can look for medications that offer symptom relief. Over-the-counter (OTC)nasal decongestantsanddiphenhydramine, for example, can help with runny nose and low-grade fever, respectively.
Other things you can do to feel better when you have a cold or bronchitis include:
How Bronchitis Is Treated
A Word From VerywelllHaving a case of acute bronchitis can be difficult since the cough can last so long. We all want to feel better as soon as possible, yet the cough lingers, worrying us. But antibiotics are rarely the answer and may cause other problems. Keep the communication lines open with your healthcare provider so they can help you feel better and address any concerns you may have.—JANE KIM, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywelll
Having a case of acute bronchitis can be difficult since the cough can last so long. We all want to feel better as soon as possible, yet the cough lingers, worrying us. But antibiotics are rarely the answer and may cause other problems. Keep the communication lines open with your healthcare provider so they can help you feel better and address any concerns you may have.—JANE KIM, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Having a case of acute bronchitis can be difficult since the cough can last so long. We all want to feel better as soon as possible, yet the cough lingers, worrying us. But antibiotics are rarely the answer and may cause other problems. Keep the communication lines open with your healthcare provider so they can help you feel better and address any concerns you may have.
—JANE KIM, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
Call your heatlhcare provider immediately if you have a cold in addition to these symptoms:
Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have bronchitis along with the following:
Summary
When distinguishing between bronchitis vs. a cold, the first key difference is the type of cough they produce; bronchitis causes phlegmy, productive coughs, whereas cold coughs are dry. With a cold, you will experience more upper respiratory symptoms, like postnasal drip and a runny nose. Bronchitis, however, is more likely to affect your breathing, causing symptoms like wheezing and shortness of breath.
Regardless of which illness you have, if you experience difficulty breathing, a persistent or high fever, or symptoms that improve then come back, contact your healthcare provider for treatment.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mount Sinai.Bronchitis - acute.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common cold.Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About common cold.American Lung Association.Learn about acute bronchitis.Penn Medicine.Common cold.Eccles R.Common cold.Front Allergy. 2023 Jun;4(1):1224988. doi:10.3389/falgy.2023.1224988University of Utah Health.Acute & chronic bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mount Sinai.Bronchitis - acute.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common cold.Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About common cold.American Lung Association.Learn about acute bronchitis.Penn Medicine.Common cold.Eccles R.Common cold.Front Allergy. 2023 Jun;4(1):1224988. doi:10.3389/falgy.2023.1224988University of Utah Health.Acute & chronic bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Mount Sinai.Bronchitis - acute.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common cold.Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About common cold.American Lung Association.Learn about acute bronchitis.Penn Medicine.Common cold.Eccles R.Common cold.Front Allergy. 2023 Jun;4(1):1224988. doi:10.3389/falgy.2023.1224988University of Utah Health.Acute & chronic bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
Mount Sinai.Bronchitis - acute.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common cold.
Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About common cold.
American Lung Association.Learn about acute bronchitis.
Penn Medicine.Common cold.
Eccles R.Common cold.Front Allergy. 2023 Jun;4(1):1224988. doi:10.3389/falgy.2023.1224988
University of Utah Health.Acute & chronic bronchitis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
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