Although asthma and bronchitis are both inflammatory diseases of the lungs that cause difficulty breathing, they are quite different and therefore have different causes and treatments.
Generally, asthma is a chronic problem that worsens due to exposure to cold or allergens such as hair, dust or pollen, for example, while bronchitis may only appear once in a lifetime or several times due to infections caused by other health problems, such as tonsillitis or sinusitis, known as acute bronchitis.
Main differences between asthma and bronchitis
The main differences between asthma and bronchitis are summarized in the following table:
| Asthma | Acute Bronchitis | |
| How it comes | It is a chronic inflammation of the lungs that presents crises due to exposure to cold or allergens, such as hair, pollen or dust. | It is an inflammation, rarely chronic, arising from infections such as tonsillitis or sinusitis, or prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke or airborne pollutants. |
| Duration of crises | Asthma attacks can last for a few hours or days and improve with the use of bronchodilator medications. | Bronchitis seizures last several weeks or weeks, and usually do not go away with the use of bronchodilators. In some cases, bronchitis can last for more than 3 months and is known as chronic bronchitis. |
| How do you feel? | The main symptoms of asthma include tightness in the chest, feeling of shortness of breath and wheezing. | The most common symptoms of bronchitis are wheezing and coughing with secretion. |
| How it is treated | It is made with corticoid medicines, such as Budesonide or Fluticasone, and bronchodilators, such as Salbutamol or ipatropium bromide. | It has to be done with antibiotics to combat the infection that is causing the symptoms of bronchitis. However, in chronic cases, it may also be necessary to use bronchodilators. |
When breathing problems are suspected, both asthma and bronchitis, for example, it is recommended to consult a pulmonologist for diagnostic tests, such as chest X-rays or spirometry, to identify the problem and initiate appropriate treatment.
If you want to know more about these problems, read also:
- Asthma symptoms
- Bronchitis
- Asthmatic bronchitis
