Difference Between Bronchitis and Asthma

Asthma and Bronchitis are both the disorders of respiratory tract but occur due to different reasons with varied symptoms and consequences. Bronchitis leads to the inflammation and swelling of the airway. On the other side, asthma causes the tightening and constriction of the air passage. In both cases, the oxygen intake is reduced.

Bronchitis may last longer for more than two years or maybe curedin a couple of weeks. contrarily, asthma cannot be cured permanently and thus remain for a lifetime.

During bronchitis, the bronchial tubes are filled with thick mucus that clogs the airway making the movement of air slower. In asthma, the respiratory muscles contract leading to the condition of Bronchospasm. This spasm will restrict the easy movement of air.

The following content will provide the basic differences between Bronchitis and Asthma with the help of a comparison chart, a brief description, symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention.

Content: Bronchitis Vs Asthma

1. Comparison Chart
2. What is Bronchitis?
3. What is Asthma?
4. Key Differences
5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Bronchitis	Asthma
Meaning	Bronchitis is an inflammation of the linings of bronchial tubes (the passage from where air passes to the lungs) which is an infection due to pollutants like smoke, dust, and other harmful particles and last for few weeks.	Asthma is a condition where muscles get tighten of the air ways or the passage from where air moves in and out due to which there is swelling and results in narrowing of the airways. Asthma is a life-long disease which can be treated but cannot be cured permanently.
Symptoms/Signs	1.Chest congestion 2.Body ache and chills 3.Run a low fever 4.Running and stuffy nose. 5.Feeling exhausted. 6.A cough can last for few weeks.	1. Regular cough especially at night. 2. Allergies like sneezing, running nose, congestion. 3. Problem while sleeping. 4. Weakness. 5. Feeling low while doing physical exercise and other heavy work. 6. Chest tightening.
Diagnose	1.By checking the oxygen level. 2.Spirometer test. 3.Chest X-ray. 4.Blood Test.	1.Spirometry. 2.Blood test. 3.Peak expiratory flow. 4.Chest X-ray.
Cause	It can be caused by virus or bacteria or other particles that can create the disturbance while breathing.	Asthma is caused by coming into contact with dust particles, pollens, airborne substances,smoke, tobacco,weather changes or sometimes it can be genetic, or due to a long respiratory disease like common cold.
Treatment	Though Acute Bronchitis get itself cured and last for few days, whereas Chronic Bronchits needs a proper treatment which help in eradication, like antibiotics and inhaler are prescribed.	1.Inhalers. 2.Humidifiers. 3.Medicines of alllergies. *Asthma can be treated and controlled but is incurable permanently.
Types	1.Acute Bronchitis. 2.Chronic Bronchitis.	No types
Precaution	1. Avoid smoking. 2. Wear mask wherever necessary. 3.Drink plenty of water. 4.Get all the necessary vaccines on time. 5.Avoid taking cough medicine.	1 .Avoid smoking. 2.Wear mask wherever necessary. 3.Avoid coming in contact with allergens like dust, pollen, vapours, fumes. 4. Avoid coming in direct contact with the person already suffering from this disease. 5.Take proper rest.

What is Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is a disease of the respiratory tract that cause oedema and inflammation in the bronchial tubes. These tubes are the passage for carrying air in and out of the lungs. During bronchitis, this passage is partially blocked due to the development of thickened mucous and excessive cough.

Symptoms of Bronchitis

• Severe chest congestion
• Felling of clogging or heaviness in the chest.
• Cough with heavy mucous (might be white, yellow, transparent or green in colour).
• Breathlessness
• Occasional fever with chills
• Wheezing or whistling noise while breathing.
• Body ache
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Weakness, tiredness and dizziness due to lack of oxygen

Diagram of the airway in Bronchitis

Reasons behind Bronchitis

There may be several causes for bronchitis depending on the area you live in, i.e. your surroundings, exposure to microorganisms, toxicity in the air etc. Some of the main risk factors are:

• History of respiratory allergies or Asthma
• Weakening of the respiratory pathway due to viral infection.
• Active or passive smoking
• Continuous exposure to the toxic gases
• Heavy air pollution in the surrounding
• Inhalation of chemical fumes for an extended period.
• Weaker immune system
  (Mainly in children and aged people, even common cold can be severe enough to cause bronchial infection)

Diagnosis of Bronchitis

The doctor can diagnose your bronchitis easily through a physical examination of the body.  He may ask you about your symptoms and history of the disease. If necessary, he may suggest you to perform some tests to get a clear picture of the scenario.

• Detection of blood oxygen level.
• X-ray
• Blood test
• Testing of sputum swab or mucous
• Lung functionality test by the spirometer.

Types of Bronchitis

There are two main types of bronchitis based on their level of contagiousness.

1. Acute Bronchitis

This is the common type of bronchitis usually caused by viral infection. It is comparatively a short-term infection and is easily curable.

The infection leads to cold, cough with mucous, occasional fever etc., generally occurs in case of allergies, continual contact with dust, smog, smoke etc. It lasts for about 1-2 weeks. But can turn into a severe issue if not taken seriously and can be worsened by smoking.

2. Chronic Bronchitis

This is long term bronchitis that causes severe damage to the respiratory organs, mainly to bronchial tubes. It not only damages air passage but also and weakens lung tissues. Tobacco smoking, exposure to chemical fumes or toxic gases for a longer time etc., are the prime reasons behind this.

The recovery from this is prolonged, and the chances of complete eradication are significantly less.

Treatment of Bronchitis

The treatment depends on the level of infection as well as on the type of bronchitis you are suffering from.

Acute bronchitis being less infectious and less contagious that recover on its own within a few weeks. It can be easily cured with basic measures like:

• Drinking plenty of water to thin out the mucous that will make it easier to be out with cough.
• Taking ample rest
• Taking pain killers to relieve the chest pain and ease the respiratory muscles which are tightened to due coughing.
• Taking steams to loosen the cough or using humidifiers.

On the other hand, chronic bronchitis needs proper medical support to be completely cured. It being COPD has very low chances of successful eradication.
But the symptoms can be treated using various methods such as adequate medications such as mucolytics, bronchodilators, steroids; pulmonary rehabilitation; surgery; oxygen therapy or by using all of them.

In severe cases, the doctors also suggest you use an airway clearing device to clear the thick mucus and inhalers in case you have breathing issues or wheezing.

Prevention

• Breathing exercise for strengthening the lungs and chest muscles.
• Avoiding lung irritants like smoking cigarettes
• Using air purifiers in case of excess pollution

What is Asthma?

Asthma is one of the major non-communicable diseases. It is a long-term respiratory disorder that leads to the narrowing or blockage of the airway, ultimately making the breathing process difficult. It’s a chronic condition of the lungs that doesn’t get cured easily and thus can be life-threatening if not taken seriously.

What happens during Asthma?

In a healthy individual, the muscles of the air passage are relaxed, allowing the air to move easily while breathing. But in an asthmatic person, this airway or the respiratory tract becomes narrower because of the tightening and the inflammation of the surrounding muscles.

The following conditions may arise in the case of Asthma:

• Inflammation: The lining or airway walls are swollen and inflamed. This swollen pathway would not let a sufficient amount of air to pass through it.
• Bronchospasm: In this case, the surrounding muscles are constricted and tightened, making the air passage narrower. This, too, hampers the free flow of air.
• Excess mucous production: The asthmatic person produces excess mucous than normal. This thick mucus clogs the airpath.

What is an Asthma attack?

The asthmatic attack is the stage where the muscle bands surrounding the air path are triggered to constrict and tighten. This situation is termed as “Bronchospasm”.

During the attack, walls of the air passage are swelled and inflamed, leading to thick mucus production. This narrowing of bronchial passage and blocking due to mucus cause shortness of breath referred to as asthmatic attack.

Symptoms of Asthma

The asthmatic symptoms are as common as any other respiratory disease symptoms. Some significant symptoms include:

• Redness and inflammation in the bronchial tubes.
• Irritation in the air passage.
• Chest tightening, chest ache and pressure.
• Cough, especially while sleeping.
• Wheezing sound during breathing.

Note: Asthma cannot be considered as a typical allergy or an autoimmune disorder. However, it occurs due to the over-reaction and over-activeness of the immune system towards certain elements. These elements are called as triggers.
The triggers can worsen the condition of the asthmatic patient by excessive stimulation of the immune response. Common triggers might include- dust particles, pollens, grass, animal fur, smog, smoke, chemical fumes, strong fragrances like deodorant, perfumes, soaps etc. The change in the weather conditions can also trigger the asthmatic response.

Diagram of the airway in Asthma

Causes of Asthma

Many of the factors have been described by the healthcare provider as the causative agents of Asthma. Some of the reasons are mentioned as follows:

• Hereditary: Asthma is very likely in case of family history. Notably in close relations like siblings or parents.
• Early life events: The complications during birth or infancy might also result in Asthma. For example- prematurity, low-birth weight, exposure of pregnant women to chemical fumes etc.
• Allergies: The allergens can also trigger the asthmatic response. This type of Asthma is called as allergic Asthma.
• Urbanization: The development of factories, industries, as well as the use of chemicals in the agriculture sector, medical fields etc., have introduced several new causative agents of Asthma into the air.
• Environmental Factors: Children or even adults can develop Asthma by breathing in polluted air. Active or passive smoking irritates the air passage, causing infection in the respiratory tract, increasing the chances of Asthma.

Classification of Asthma

Based on the level of severity, the healthcare professionals categorize Asthma as:

• Severe persistent Asthma: The condition where your Asthma hampers the normal day-to-day physical activities, causing breathlessness while talking and trouble being active along with the constant symptoms of Asthma. (more troublesome during nighttime).
• Moderate persistent Asthma: This type of Asthma causes five to seven asthmatic attacks per month (Mainly during the night). Symptoms may be not very harsh but are continuous.
• Mild Persistent Asthma: This causes mild attacks that occur twice or thrice a month. The symptoms are mild and are cured quickly. Day to day activities is not generally disturbed.
• Mild intermittent Asthma: Minor symptoms with a reduced number of attacks (even less than twice a month).

Treatment of Asthma

Asthma is a treatable disease but necessitates attention. If not taken seriously can be really hazardous. Its treatment generally involves:

• Medications: For long term control, medications are a must in asthma treatment.  The appropriate medications are decided on the basis of severity, symptoms, allergies and age of an individual.
• Inhalers: These bronchodilators act within a few minutes and quickly ease the tightening in the bronchial muscles and relieve the air passage. They include levalbuterol and albuterol.
• Intravenous and oral corticosteroids: They readily relieve the inflammation in the airway, making the troubled breathing easy.

Conclusion

From above discussion, we can say that Bronchitis and Asthma share the same symptoms but different causes. Regardless that both the medical case results in inflammatory airway conditions, usually smokers or the person who is in regular contact with the smokers suffer the most.

The only difference in these diseases is their characteristics where Asthma is the worst problem among them as it is incurable and lifelong and still exact cause is unknown. Even bronchitis patients are at risk of getting asthma as their immune systems get low due to which they have many chances, so care should be taken.