Bronchitis vs. Asthma: Key Differences, Symptoms, and Treatment
Lung & RespiratoryAsthma

Is It Asthma, Bronchitis, or Both?

Is It Asthma, Bronchitis, or Both?
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Updated on February 13, 2026
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Asthma is a lung condition that causes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Flare-ups of these symptoms are also known as asthma attacks. Asthma can look similar to acute bronchitis, which causes the same symptoms. So how can you tell the difference, and what happens if you have both conditions at the same time? Here’s what to know.

Bronchitis vs. Asthma: What’s the Difference?

Acute bronchitis is caused by a viral or bacterial infection, meaning it typically results from a cold or the flu and lasts about one to three weeks before clearing up on its own.

Asthma is a chronic (long-term) condition that inflames your airways. It's often caused by genetics, respiratory infections during infancy or childhood, or the environment you’re exposed to.

Chronic bronchitis (a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD) is often confused with asthma. It’s a persistent condition that results from heavy exposure to cigarette smoke or other air pollutants, or frequent cases of acute respiratory infections. Uncontrolled asthma can also cause chronic bronchitis.

While asthma and bronchitis are two different conditions, they can occur at the same time in some people. “When asthma and acute bronchitis occur together, the condition might be termed ‘asthmatic bronchitis,’” explains John Carl, MD, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Some physicians also use the term “asthmatic bronchitis” to refer to people who have COPD and some asthma component, adds Nicola Hanania, MD, a professor of medicine in the pulmonary department at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

How to Tell if It’s Bronchitis or Asthma

Asthma will narrow your airways and cause excess mucus, leading to shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. You might also feel tightness or pain in your chest or hear a whistling sound when you exhale.

“While not all patients have the three telltale asthma symptoms [wheezing, shortness of breath, cough], the most ‘classic’ one is probably wheezing, which is a high-pitched whistling sound created by obstructed bronchial passages,” says James Shamiyeh, MD, a pulmonologist and medical director of the Heart Lung Vascular Institute at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

Bronchitis happens due to inflammation of your large airways, meaning less air is able to get in and out of your lungs than usual. You may cough up phlegm or mucus and have wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and a slight fever or chills.

“The main symptom that tells you it’s acute bronchitis is a cough that persists for at least five days, although it can often last one to three weeks,” Dr. Shamiyeh says. The cough is generally associated with phlegm production (sputum), which can be discolored or clear, he adds.

What Is Asthma?

Mount Sinai ENT Erin McGintee, MD, explains the lung condition.
What Is Asthma?

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What Happens When You Have Both Asthma and Bronchitis?

It’s particularly concerning when people who already have asthma develop acute bronchitis, says Richard Castriotta, MD, a professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “It makes their asthma much worse.”

In these cases, doctors may call the bronchitis “asthmatic bronchitis,” though that’s not a clinical term, Shamiyeh says. (Other doctors use the term “asthmatic bronchitis” when a case of acute bronchitis may cause asthma symptoms, like wheezing).

People with asthma who develop bronchitis are treated with inhalers that dilate your bronchial tubes (to make breathing easier), over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers, and cold medication for other upper respiratory cold symptoms. This is similar to the treatment for acute bronchitis in people without underlying asthma, Shamiyeh says. “Patients with asthma who get bronchitis may also be prescribed inhaled or oral steroids on a case-by-case basis.”

When acute bronchitis is severe, it can trigger asthma. That’s because acute bronchitis is caused by either a viral or bacterial infection, Dr. Castriotta says. For most people, bronchitis goes away when the infection clears, but if not, it’s possible for that viral infection and acute bronchitis to turn into asthma, he says.

“This is one of the ways adult-onset asthma develops,” Castriotta says. The infection essentially causes changes in the airways that bring on the asthma symptoms.

What to Do When You Have Both Conditions

Doctors might also use the term “asthmatic bronchitis” when referring to people with COPD and mild asthma symptoms, or when it’s difficult to differentiate the conditions, Dr. Hanania says.

Most cases of asthma are diagnosed in childhood. COPD is usually diagnosed after age 40, often after years of smoking or other long-term exposure to pollution, chemicals, and secondhand smoke, Hanania says.

Both asthma and COPD are chronic conditions, meaning that the damage cannot be reversed and the conditions cannot be cured, but both can be treated, says Hanania. “For those with asthma, it’s important to treat comorbidities and ensure proper use of inhalers. People with COPD should avoid smoking and exposure to triggers and use inhalers that contain bronchodilators,” he explains.

How to Prevent Bronchitis — Whether You Have Asthma or Not

Experts suggest the following methods to prevent bronchitis, whether you have asthma or not:

  • Don’t smoke, and avoid being around cigarette smoke.

  • Get an annual flu shot.

  • Get a pneumonia shot if you are 50 or older, or if you’re younger than 50 with any condition that puts you at risk, like emphysema or other breathing problems, diabetes, or heart disease.

Most cases of acute bronchitis will clear up on their own, even for people with asthma. Most people don’t need treatment, but your doctor might suggest taking OTC medication like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or using a humidifier to ease symptoms.

More-serious cases of bronchitis, however, may need to be treated with additional medication. For example, your doctor may recommend the types of inhalers often used in asthma attacks (like albuterol), steroid drugs, and sometimes even oxygen. See your doctor about acute bronchitis if:

  • You have a fever higher than 100.4 degrees F.
  • Your cough brings up blood, which could be a sign of pneumonia that needs immediate medical care.
  • You have wheezing or shortness of breath that becomes worse.
  • You’re pale, lethargic, have trouble concentrating, or have a bluish tint to your lips or nail beds.
  • Your symptoms last more than three weeks.

Although bronchitis and asthma are two different lung conditions, they are closely related. Knowing the difference can help ensure you get the best treatment for the condition affecting you.

The Takeaway

  • Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes wheezing and shortness of breath. Bronchitis, which can be acute or chronic, can cause similar symptoms. That makes it tough to tell the difference between the two.
  • Asthma can be genetic or due to repeating lung infections. Bronchitis is typically caused from exposure to pollutants like smoke, or caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Sometimes, chronic bronchitis and infection can lead to asthma.
  • If you develop bronchitis and have asthma, treatments like inhalers, humidifiers, and steroids may help relieve symptoms. Acute bronchitis, on the other hand, is typically treated with rest and goes away on its own.
  • Talk to your doctor if your shortness of breath, cough, and wheezing last longer than three weeks. Also call the doctor if these symptoms happen along with fever, fatigue, other flu-like symptoms, or if you have other underlying health conditions.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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David Mannino, MD

Medical Reviewer

David Mannino, MD, is the chief medical officer at the COPD Foundation. He has a long history of research and engagement in respiratory health.

After completing medical training as a pulmonary care specialist, Dr. Mannino joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch. While at CDC, he helped to develop the National Asthma Program and led efforts on the Surveillance Reports that described the U.S. burden of asthma (1998) and COPD (2002).

After his retirement from CDC in 2004, Mannino joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where he was involved both clinically in the College of Medicine and as a teacher, researcher, and administrator in the College of Public Health. He served as professor and chair in the department of preventive medicine and environmental health from 2012 to 2017, with a joint appointment in the department of epidemiology.

In 2004, Mannino helped to launch the COPD Foundation, where he served as a board member from 2004 through 2015, chairman of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee from 2010 through 2015, and chief scientific officer from 2015 to 2017.

Mannino has over 350 publications and serves as an associate editor or editorial board member for the following journals: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest, Thorax, European Respiratory Journal, and the Journal of the COPD Foundation. He was also a coauthor of the Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco in 2008 and 2014.

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Madeline R. Vann, MPH, LPC

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Madeline Vann, MPH, LPC, is a freelance health and medical writer located in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has been writing for over 15 years and can present complicated health topics at any reading level. Her writing has appeared in HealthDay, the Huffington Post, Costco Connection, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Huntsville Times, and numerous academic publications.

She received her bachelor's degree from Trinity University, and has a master of public health degree from Tulane University. Her areas of interest include diet, fitness, chronic and infectious diseases, oral health, biotechnology, cancer, positive psychology, caregiving, end-of-life issues, and the intersection between environmental health and individual health.

Outside of writing, Vann is a licensed professional counselor and specializes in treating military and first responders coping with grief, loss, trauma, and addiction/recovery. She is a trauma specialist at the Farley Center, where she provides workshops on trauma, grief, and distress tolerance coping skills. She regularly practices yoga, loves to cook, and can’t decide between a Mediterranean style diet and an Asian-fusion approach.

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