Difference Between Asthma and Bronchitis

For life to keep going, it is necessary to breathe in and out. It is a constant process that keeps occurring without consent. If somehow this process gets interrupted, the condition aroused can be life-threatening.

The disease of asthma and Bronchitis cause such conditions where breathing becomes troublesome.

Key Takeaways

1. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, while bronchitis is an infection-induced inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
2. Asthma symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, whereas bronchitis symptoms involve coughing, mucus production, and fatigue.
3. Asthma requires long-term management, while acute bronchitis typically resolves within a few weeks.

Asthma vs Bronchitis

Asthma is a chronic condition in which the airways become inflamed and narrow, making it difficult to breathe which can lead to wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, which are the airways that carry air to the lungs.

In Asthma, inflammation, swelling, and narrowness arise in a person’s airway. The breathing procedure gets interrupted, and it becomes difficult for a person to breathe normally.

To treat or calm the trouble of Asthma, inhalers are available in the market. It is also known as lung disease.

In Bronchitis, the tube that carries air gets swollen or inflamed, and the throat fills up with mucus or cough. Bronchitis can be both common and serious, and it can last for a few weeks to months.

Sometimes it keeps coming back, or in some cases, it gets cured completely.

Comparison Table

Parameters Of Comparison	Asthma	Bronchitis
Meaning	It is the inflammation in tubes carrying air to the lungs.	It is an irritation in the bronchial tubes caused by some irritant.
Treatment	The symptoms of asthma can be treated by rescue inhalers and steroids.	The symptoms of bronchitis can be treated by taking prescribed antibiotics.
Duration	The duration of Asthma can be 2 weeks to 8 weeks.	Depending on the episode, it can last for one day to weeks.
Age group	Asthma can suffer 5 years old children to 75 years old people.	Bronchitis is commonly found in children under 2 years.
Diagnosis	The diagnosis of Asthma is a high level of eosinophils and troubles in the lungs.	Diagnosis of bronchitis includes fatigue, nausea, runny nose, headache, etc.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a disease where a person suffering may feel breathing problems or even cause serious attacks. This is due to the inflation of airways or an increase in the production of mucus.

Asthma may vary in different patients. For some, it is just some minor nuisance, but for others, it may prove to be a fatal disease that may result in different life-taking asthma attacks.

It can interfere with daily life activities. Asthma patient shows the following symptoms: (i) Chest pain, (ii) Coughing attacks which can be worsened by a respiratory virus (iii) Trouble while sleeping due to shortness of breath and coughing. (iv) Wheezing when exhaling breath Asthma can be just a minor problem or also can be a fatal disease depending upon the condition or symptoms of the patient.

Asthma can be worse if there is great difficulty in breathing or if the symptoms occur more often and are aggravating. Different surrounding conditions may differently affect the patients, like cold and dry air, gases, smoke, dust, etc.

Asthma attacks can be life-threatening, so we should not ignore the symptoms and consult a doctor in case your symptoms worsen or if there is no improvement even after using a quick-relief inhaler or if you are facing shortness of breath while doing any small physical activity.

Although Asthma is not curable, its symptoms can be controlled with certain medical procedures.

What is Bronchitis?

Inflammation of lining bronchial tubes, which carry air from and to the lungs, causes bronchitis. A Bronchitis patient often coughs with thick mucus. Bronchitis can either be acute or chronic.

Acute bronchitis is very common as it is caused by the flu, cold, or other respiratory infections. It is also called a chest cold. It improves within a few days. Acute bronchitis is not serious, while on the other hand, Chronic bronchitis is a very serious condition.

It causes frequent irritation in the lining of bronchial tubes along with its inflammation. Following are the symptoms of bronchitis: (i) Shortness of breath (ii) Fever with chills (iii) Fatigue (iv) Cough with thick mucus, which can be in different colors like Yellowish, grey, green or white, etc.

Also, it can be streaked with blood. Patients suffering from acute bronchitis can have symptoms of headache, fever, cold, etc.

Besides coughing, all the other symptoms may improve within a few days. But if it lasts more than three months, the patient might suffer from chronic bronchitis, which needs to be taken care of.

Chronic bronchitis is caused due to pollution, smoking, and dust or toxic gases. If the symptoms last more than three months, we should visit a doctor for proper treatment.

Main Differences Between Asthma and Bronchitis

1. There is no particular type of asthma. On the other hand, there are several types of bronchitis. The most known types are acute and chronic.
2. Asthma is common in every age group, while acute bronchitis is found in children younger than 2 years, and chronic bronchitis is found in 9 to 15-year-olds.
3. To treat the symptoms of asthma, bronchodilators and medicines like corticosteroids are used, while rescue inhalers are available for Bronchitis.
4. A patient with asthma cannot breathe properly because of the information in the throat, while the tubes carrying air to the lungs get swollen.
5. The level of eosinophils increases in Asthma, while the symptoms of bronchitis are more like getting a cold.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091674909008793
2. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19542701436