How to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia
When we or our relatives have an inflammatory disease of the respiratory system, the question often arises: how can you distinguish between bronchitis and pneumonia? Indeed, the cause and the development of these diseases are the same microorganisms-pathogens. These diseases are a complication of viral respiratory diseases.
Our body is prone to colds mainly during the cold season. They are caused by a long exposure to cold temperatures on the body, staying in the cold wind and drafts, the use of chilled drinks in hot or cold weather. Viruses and infections are the main pathogens of these colds. Often a common cold at first glance becomes complicated and passes into a more complex illness. One of these complicated forms is bronchitis.
Bronchitis and its treatment
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial mucosa. Infection from the upper respiratory tract descends into the body. In addition to bacteria and viruses, this disease can be caused by cold, hot, or dry air, chemical gases. Symptoms: the patient has a fever, he often coughs. Painful cough at first dry, then gradually passes into the moist, abundantly excreted sputum. A person may lack air. During breathing from time to time there are hoarse and hoarse sounds. They appear due to sputum, which accumulates in the throat, noises are heard and in the chest of a sick person.
Bronchitis of mild degree is treated from a week to two. To recover, it is necessary to comply with bed rest, consume abundant drink with linden and raspberries, carry out inhalation with a 2% solution of sodium bicarbonate, take expectorants to get rid of abundant phlegm, take mucolytics, and massage your chest regularly.
If the disease passes into more serious, complex forms, the doctor appoints the patient an effective antibiotic, which has a wide range of effects on the body and is used for bronchitis, as well as for pneumonia. For the prevention of diseases in the future you need to temper. The simplest way - every day to wash your feet with warm water, and then pour them cold.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia can develop as a complication of severe bronchitis. Quite often, doctors observe a situation in which acute bronchitis causes serious consequences. One of them is pneumonia. Symptoms of this disease are similar to the symptoms of bronchitis.
In order not to cause confusion, it is necessary to know how to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia for the competent treatment of a sick person.
With bronchitis, there is a pain in the chest area. Appears dry cough, which gradually goes into the wet, it will be accompanied by the release of mucopurulent sputum. The body temperature will rise to a mark of 38 degrees. The patient's breathing is hard, accompanied by wheezing. Recovery is possible after treatment within one to two weeks. The general condition of the sick person will improve, the cough will subside.
It is more difficult to diagnose pneumonia, because it is divided into different species and occurs in ARVI, which is a satellite disease. Only a doctor can diagnose pneumonia after a thorough examination. However, it is useful for everyone to know how this disease differs from bronchitis in order to seek the necessary help.
With pneumonia, the following symptoms appear: a runny nose and a dry cough that changes to wet, pain in the chest during inspiration and during coughing, breathing dry and wet wheezing, dyspnea, loss of sleep and appetite, amid a fever of 39-40 degrees, there is a chill, sometimes pain in the side, headache and weakness - signs of intoxication, rapid breathing, superficial, there may be a shiver in the voice.
Antibiotics, which are prescribed to patients in whom pneumonia and bronchitis have a wide range of action. With both diseases, after medical therapy, respiratory gymnastics is useful, which will help you to restore your breathing more quickly and completely.
