Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It SoundsProductive CoughsMucusType and StageOther SymptomsDiagnosisWhen to See a ProviderTips to Find Relief
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Sounds
Productive Coughs
Mucus
Type and Stage
Other Symptoms
Diagnosis
When to See a Provider
Tips to Find Relief
Coughing can be a symptom of various health conditions, includingpneumonia. Pneumonia is a lung infection and/or inflammation of the air sacs of one or both lungs.Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can cause it. Pneumonia causes various symptoms, including cough.
A pneumonia cough may sound deeper or louder than a cough associated with other viral and bacterial conditions.It also tends to be wet and productive (produces mucus). Features of a pneumonia cough, such as the type ofmucusyou cough up, will depend on the type and stage of the pneumonia.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include cough, fever, and chest discomfort. A recovery timeline for pneumonia can vary from person to person and based on symptom severity.
Guido Mieth / Getty Images
What a Pneumonia Cough Can Sound Like
Pneumonia produces deep or loud coughs.Your healthcare provider will consider cough sound when determining the cause of your symptoms, but it isn’t the only symptom they will rely on.
One study reported in 2021 used artificial intelligence and cough sounds to identify pneumonia coughs.Researchers found that coughing linked to pneumonia became louder toward the end of the cough. Factors contributing to cough severity included mucus amounts,wheezing(a high-pitched whistling sound with breathing), anddyspnea(shortness of breath).
Common features of a pneumonia cough include:
Crackles (rales) arebreath soundsa healthcare provider can hear with a stethoscope. Crackles indicate the spaces in the lungs normally filled with air are filling with fluid or other material (lung consolidation).
Walking PneumoniaWalking pneumoniais a mild case of pneumonia. With this type of pneumonia, you have mild symptoms that may cause some discomfort, but you do not need bed rest or hospitalization.The bacteriaMycoplasma pneumoniaeis one cause of walking pneumonia.
Walking Pneumonia
Walking pneumoniais a mild case of pneumonia. With this type of pneumonia, you have mild symptoms that may cause some discomfort, but you do not need bed rest or hospitalization.The bacteriaMycoplasma pneumoniaeis one cause of walking pneumonia.
A cough alone is not enough to determine if a person has pneumonia. This is because other illnesses can cause coughs similar to pneumonia, includingCOVID-19andthe flu. Some of these conditionsmay also lead to pneumonia.
Silent Pneumonia: What to Watch for When There’s No Fever
Are They Productive (Wet) Coughs?
A wet, productive cough brings up mucus.Bacterial pneumonia typically leads to a wet, productive cough.
Various conditions can cause mucus, such asrespiratory infectionsandcongestive heart failure.In some cases, the type of cough can help your healthcare provider determine the cause.
Adry coughdiffers from a wet one because it produces no mucus.It is usually the result of irritation orinflammationof the airways. Viral pneumonia can sometimes lead to a dry cough, but if it gets severe, it may become wet and produce mucus.
Additional causes of a dry cough are:
The 3 Different Types of Cough: What They Mean
What Does the Mucus Look Like?
Productive coughs bring up mucus.Mucus not associated with an infection or illness looks clear, slippery, and gel-like.Mucous membranesproduce mucus to trap germs and other harmful substances so the immune system can react to these possible threats.
Mucus can become thick and sticky. If someone has an infection, it may also be white, yellow, or green.
Pneumonia coughs can produce green, yellow, or bloody mucus.Bacterial pneumonia may produce bloody mucus or mucus with pus. Viral pneumonia may cause watery mucus that comes withpus.
What Is Pus?Pus is a white-yellow or yellow substance that forms at inflammation sites following a bacterial or fungal infection. It contains dead white blood cells and other immune system cells, dead infectious organisms, and tissue debris.
What Is Pus?
Pus is a white-yellow or yellow substance that forms at inflammation sites following a bacterial or fungal infection. It contains dead white blood cells and other immune system cells, dead infectious organisms, and tissue debris.
How Type and Stage Affect the Cough
Most pneumonia coughs last about two weeks.However, some people may have more severe coughs that last three or more weeks. It is uncommon for a pneumonia cough to last longer than a month.
If your cough has lasted eight weeks or longer, it is considered chronic.You should see a healthcare provider to determine the cause.
The severity of a pneumonia cough and what you cough up depends on the stage. For example, early-stage pneumonia does not cause you to cough anything up.As pneumonia progresses, the cough can worsen and can cause you to cough mucus. A severe pneumonia cough may also cause pain.
Are There Signs That Pneumonia Is Improving?
With viral pneumonia, cough may present several days after fever, runny nose, muscle pain, and other initial symptoms. With bacterial pneumonia, the cough may present within a day or two after initial symptoms.
Stages of Pneumonia
Stage 1 (congestion): This is the first stage in which the infection has made its way into the lobes of the lung. It lasts about 24 hours and causes the lungs to become inflamed, leading to coughing, a feeling of heaviness in the chest, rapid breathing, and fatigue.
Stage 2 (red hepatization): This second stage lasts for a few days and causes further swelling of the lungs as they try to fight off infection. At this stage, the alveoli, the tiny air sacs located at the end of the bronchioles, the branch-like tubes in the lung, struggle to move oxygen and gases into the bloodstream. During this stage, the cough will worsen, and you may experience additional symptoms like shortness of breath, muscle aches, severe fatigue, fever, and headache.
Stage 3 (gray hepatization): This presents two or three days after stage 2 and can last up to eight days. Immune cells will continue to work to protect the lungs and body, but you will still have symptoms.
Stage 4 (resolution): This is the last stage, and the stage is when you finally start to feel better. It occurs up to 10 days after the congestion stage or after a few weeks. Most of your symptoms will resolve, although your productive cough will stick around to help you clear mucus from the lungs.
Other Signs of Pneumonia
Pneumonia symptoms range from mild to severe, depending on the cause. Symptoms may include:
Symptoms of pneumonia may vary and present with different severity based on the pneumonia type.
Types of Pneumonia
Pneumonia vs. Bronchitis
Bronchitisaffects the bronchial tubes that carry air to the lungs, while pneumonia affects the alveoli.Left untreated, acute bronchitis may increase the risk of developing pneumonia, particularly in individuals with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions.
Bronchitis can be acute or chronic. A viral or bacterial infection causes an acute type. Chronic bronchitis refers to long-term inflammation of the lungs.
It is difficult to tell whether you have bronchitis or pneumonia based on cough and congestion alone. However, pneumonia’s symptoms are much more severe, and it causes whole-body symptoms like fatigue, fever, and chills.
Bronchitis will affect the bronchial tubes only, while pneumonia develops and worsens deep into lung tissue.
Bronchitis vs. Pneumonia: How to Spot the Key Differences
How to Tell If You Have Pneumonia
Cough alone does not always mean pneumonia. Most people with pneumonia will have multiple symptoms of the condition, including shortness of breath, pain with breathing and coughing, and severe fatigue.
If you think you or a child may have pneumonia, you should immediately seek medical treatment.Pneumonia can be fatalif left untreated. It can also lead to a severe, life-threatening infection.
Severe infections are more common in high-risk individuals. This includes:
Diagnosing Pneumonia
Your healthcare provider will use a variety of diagnostic tests to confirm pneumonia. These may include:
Once a diagnosis of pneumonia is made, the healthcare provider can make decisions on how to treat it best.
Pneumonia Severity and Treatment
Pneumonia severity is classified using a pneumonia severity index (PSI) or PORT score. Both are based on factors like symptoms, examination findings, lab work and imaging, demographics, and the existence of chronic orcomorbid(coexisting) conditions.
For example, for risk class 1 or 2 pneumonia, the person would receive antibiotics and be sent home to manage symptoms. A person with risk class 3 may be sent home with oral antibiotics or admitted to the hospital for antibiotics and ongoing monitoring. People in risk classes 4 and 5 would be hospitalized to receive treatment, which may include antibiotics, intravenous (IV) fluids, oxygen therapy, and/or ventilation.
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Contact your healthcare provider if you are sick and think you may have pneumonia. This is especially important if you have an underlying medical condition or if you are a high-risk individual due to age or other risk factors.
You should make an appointment with your healthcare provider for new or worsening symptoms, such as:
Head to an emergency room or call 911 if:
Your healthcare provider may prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial or walking pneumonia. They may prescribe antiviral medication if the cause is viral, but antiviral medicines do not affect all viruses that cause pneumonia. Antifungal medicines may be prescribed for fungal pneumonia.
Severe pneumonia may require hospitalization and additional treatment.
Medicinal treatment can help treat the underlying infection. These medicines will also help improve symptoms, but it may take a little time for your cough to clear up.
Here are a few things you can do to manage your cough while symptoms improve and you recover:
A Word From VerywellVaccination is crucial for preventing pneumonia, particularly with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. These vaccines protect against severe forms of pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections. High-risk individuals (e.g., older or immunocompromised) should receive these vaccines to reduce their pneumonia risk.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Vaccination is crucial for preventing pneumonia, particularly with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. These vaccines protect against severe forms of pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections. High-risk individuals (e.g., older or immunocompromised) should receive these vaccines to reduce their pneumonia risk.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Vaccination is crucial for preventing pneumonia, particularly with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. These vaccines protect against severe forms of pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections. High-risk individuals (e.g., older or immunocompromised) should receive these vaccines to reduce their pneumonia risk.
—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Summary
Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may include cough, fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Coughing associated with pneumonia sounds deeper and louder than a regular cough. Pneumonia coughs are typically productive or wet because they produce mucus.
Viral pneumonia may not always produce mucus, but bacterial pneumonia typically does. Mucus may be green, yellow, or bloody, or it may contain pus. The severity of a pneumonia cough may depend on the type of pneumonia or its stage.
Coughing is only one symptom of pneumonia. If you think you have pneumonia, contact a healthcare provider. They can determine the cause of cough and other symptoms and figure out the best treatment course.
Contact a healthcare provider for new or worsening symptoms of pneumonia, especially if you have risk factors. Seek emergency treatment for breathing troubles, chest pain, or a very high fever.
13 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.
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