Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosisWhen to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
When to See a Healthcare Provider
This article discusses the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of bronchopneumonia.
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The symptoms of bronchopneumonia and its severity vary widely. Your symptoms may be more severe if you fall into one of the following high-risk categories:
Symptoms of bronchopneumonia may include:
Viruses, including influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), and fungi, such asAspergillus fumigatus, may also cause bronchopneumonia.
Bronchopneumonia is a clinical diagnosis based on your symptoms and findings on chest X-ray imaging.
The diagnosis of bronchopneumonia always begins with your healthcare provider taking a thorough clinical history and performing a focused physical exam, listening to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope for wheezing and other abnormal breathing sounds.
Initially, blood tests looking for signs of infection—like acomplete blood cell count (CBC)—and a chest X-ray may be ordered.
An assessment of your oxygen levels and the flow of oxygen throughout your body will also be made using pulse oximetry and administering an arterial blood gas test.
If you present with a productive cough (coughing up phlegm) a sputum culture, that analyzes mucus for signs of bacterial infection, may be performed.
In addition, your healthcare provider may perform abronchoscopy, a fairly routine procedure that involves passing a thin tube with a light and camera through your mouth, down your windpipe, and into your lungs. This looks for signs of infection and areas of suspicion worth taking a closer look at via biopsy (removing sample tissue for examination in the lab).
Picking the right antibiotic is very important, though, especially with the rise of antibiotic- resistant strains of bacteria that prevent once-effective drugs from killing them. Your healthcare provider may use a sputum culture to determine the antibiotic that is most effective at eliminating your infection.
Preventing Bronchopneumonia
The outlook for bronchopneumonia is generally good but it depends on many factors, including:
If you are generally healthy, your symptoms will typically resolve in one to three weeks with treatment.
While more severe cases of bronchopneumonia may require hospital treatment, most cases can be treated with rest, outpatient antibiotics, and routine follow-up.
In severe cases, bronchopneumonia can lead to lung abscesses, the formation of pus-filled pockets in one area of the lung. At times, the infection spreads to the pleural space (the fluid-filled cavity surrounding the lungs), filling it with pus (also called an exudate) and forming an empyema (a collection of pus). Symptoms of empyema may include:
If you experience one or more of these symptoms or your symptoms do not improve despite taking your medications as prescribed, seek immediate medical attention.
Summary
A Word From Verywell
The outcomes for people with bronchopneumonia who usually are in good health are positive, but the frequent use of antibiotics has led to a rise in bacterial resistance. Severe complications can result from increasing bacterial resistance and a late or difficult-to-make diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to see a healthcare provider if you feel ill or have been in contact with someone who has had a bacterial infection in the days or weeks prior to the onset of your symptoms.
5 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.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumonia.Musher DM, Abers MS, Bartlett JG.Evolving understanding of the causes of pneumonia in adults, with special attention to the role of pneumococcus.Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(10):1736-1744. doi:10.1093/cid/cix549Zec SL, Selmanovic K, Andrijic NL, Kadic A, Zecevic L, Zunic L.Evaluation of drug treatment of bronchopneumonia at the pediatricClinic in Sarajevo.Med Arch. 2016;70(3):177-11. di:10.5455/medarh.2016.70.177-181Grief SN, Loza JK.Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of pneumonia.Prim Care. 2018;45(3):485-503. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2018.04.001Acharya PR, Shah KV.Empyema thoracis: a clinical study.Ann Thorac Med. 2007;2(1):14-17. doi:10.4103/1817-1737.30356
5 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.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumonia.Musher DM, Abers MS, Bartlett JG.Evolving understanding of the causes of pneumonia in adults, with special attention to the role of pneumococcus.Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(10):1736-1744. doi:10.1093/cid/cix549Zec SL, Selmanovic K, Andrijic NL, Kadic A, Zecevic L, Zunic L.Evaluation of drug treatment of bronchopneumonia at the pediatricClinic in Sarajevo.Med Arch. 2016;70(3):177-11. di:10.5455/medarh.2016.70.177-181Grief SN, Loza JK.Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of pneumonia.Prim Care. 2018;45(3):485-503. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2018.04.001Acharya PR, Shah KV.Empyema thoracis: a clinical study.Ann Thorac Med. 2007;2(1):14-17. doi:10.4103/1817-1737.30356
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.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumonia.Musher DM, Abers MS, Bartlett JG.Evolving understanding of the causes of pneumonia in adults, with special attention to the role of pneumococcus.Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(10):1736-1744. doi:10.1093/cid/cix549Zec SL, Selmanovic K, Andrijic NL, Kadic A, Zecevic L, Zunic L.Evaluation of drug treatment of bronchopneumonia at the pediatricClinic in Sarajevo.Med Arch. 2016;70(3):177-11. di:10.5455/medarh.2016.70.177-181Grief SN, Loza JK.Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of pneumonia.Prim Care. 2018;45(3):485-503. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2018.04.001Acharya PR, Shah KV.Empyema thoracis: a clinical study.Ann Thorac Med. 2007;2(1):14-17. doi:10.4103/1817-1737.30356
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumonia.
Musher DM, Abers MS, Bartlett JG.Evolving understanding of the causes of pneumonia in adults, with special attention to the role of pneumococcus.Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(10):1736-1744. doi:10.1093/cid/cix549
Zec SL, Selmanovic K, Andrijic NL, Kadic A, Zecevic L, Zunic L.Evaluation of drug treatment of bronchopneumonia at the pediatricClinic in Sarajevo.Med Arch. 2016;70(3):177-11. di:10.5455/medarh.2016.70.177-181
Grief SN, Loza JK.Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of pneumonia.Prim Care. 2018;45(3):485-503. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2018.04.001
Acharya PR, Shah KV.Empyema thoracis: a clinical study.Ann Thorac Med. 2007;2(1):14-17. doi:10.4103/1817-1737.30356
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