Can bronchitis occur after pneumonia?
pneumonia differs from bronchitis in that it is an invasive infection of the lower respiratory system. The infection has broken through the wall of the bronchi and entered into the tissues of the lung. The infected lung tissue has blood vessels that may transport the infectious bacteria to other parts of the body, causing bodily symptoms (see below) and potentially, a more serious disease process. For nonsmokers: In both pneumonia and bronchitis, lung inflammatory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and sputum (lung mucus) production are present. Moreover, fever, sweating, and chills may be common with either bacterial or viral infections. Because there is much overlap, it is impossible to distinguish a severe case of viral bronchitis from pneumonia without a physical exam or a chest X-ray. For the purposes of this publication, however, there are some indicators that pneumonia is present and that you should seek medical attention: chest pain or back pain with respiration or co
