Is It Asthma, Bronchitis, or Both?

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?

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

“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.

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).

“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.

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.

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• Get an annual flu shot.

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• 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.

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• 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.