What's the Difference Between Symptoms of Asthma and Bronchitis?
Asthma and bronchitis are diseases that look similar but not the same. They both make the airways become inflamed, which is swollen so that the air is difficult to move to the lungs. As a result, less oxygen enters. Lack of oxygen is what ultimately causes symptoms of shortness of breath, cough, and a sense of tightness in the chest. However, make no mistake, not all symptoms of asthma is also a symptom of bronchitis. For more details, following a review of the differences in symptoms of asthma and bronchitis.
Overview of asthma and bronchitis
Before discussing more the differences in symptoms of asthma and bronchitis, you should first understand the basic differences between these two diseases.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease when the airways narrow and swell. As a result, the body secretes excess mucus that clogs the airways. Therefore, you become a difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing (breath sounds like whistling), and crowded.
Experts do not yet know the exact cause of asthma. However, hereditary and environmental factors can be one of the causes and triggers of asthma. This disease can not be cured, but you can control the trigger so as not to recur and attack suddenly.
In addition, narrowing of the airways in asthma can be reinvigorated if bronchodilator drugs are given. Bronchodilators are drugs that can relax the muscles around the airways so they can open and dilate them.
Read also: Do People Who Have Asthma Can Scuba Diving?
Read also: Do People Who Have Asthma Can Scuba Diving?
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an infection of the respiratory tract, precisely on the bronchi. This infection causes the airway to become inflamed. According to the American College of Chest Physicians, less than 10 percent of bronabad cases are caused by bacterial infections. Bronchitis is divided into two, namely:
1. Acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is a short-term respiratory tract infection that usually lasts for several weeks and will return to normal when the infection heals.
2. Chronic bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term airway infection that lasts for months to a matter of years and is worse than acute bronchitis. In fact, this condition can cause permanent airway damage. This chronic bronchitis disease is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Differences in asthma symptoms and bronchitis
The symptoms of asthma and bronchitis are essentially almost the same. There are just a few things that distinguish. Wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and tightness in the chest is a symptom that is felt both by people with asthma and bronchitis. In addition, there are several other distinguishing symptoms:
Asthma
- The attack is sudden and occurs due to a series of triggers.
- Symptoms of asthma can come and go.
- The symptoms will improve if given bronchodilator drugs.
- More frequent wheezing sounds.
Bronchitis
- Cough with or without phlegm. Usually, phlegm issued a clear color, greenish, and yellowish.
- Coughing continuously.
- Cold.
- Low fever with a temperature of about 37.7 to 38.8 degrees Celsius.
- Body feels hot-cold (fever).
- Stiffness throughout the body.
- Symptoms of bronchitis will persist as long as the infection is still inside the body.
Treatment of asthma and bronchitis
Different symptoms and causes, different types of treatment. Here are the differences in treatment of asthma and bronchitis.
Asthma
Usually, asthma is overcome by preventing the trigger. For example stress, allergies, and certain drugs. In addition, the doctor will also prescribe an inhaler to treat symptoms that appear suddenly. The inhaler contains a bronchodilator to reduce the symptoms of tightness. As for long-term use that serves as preventing the occurrence of asthma (controller) the doctor may provide a corticosteroid inhaler.
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis usually goes away by itself. Your doctor will advise you to take plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and prescribe painkillers that do not stop coughing. While chronic bronchitis is usually treated with steroids to reduce inflammation, antibiotic drugs, and bronchodilator drugs. This drug can also help clear the production of excess mucus that clogs the airways.
