Yes, a cold or bronchitis can turn into pneumonia. Bronchitis occurs when a cold spreads to the airways that carry air into your lungs (bronchial tubes). A chest cold is often called acute bronchitis, which is an inflammation and swelling of the bronchial tubes.
Sometimes, a cold or allergies can cause excess mucus to drain from your nose into your throat, causing a cough. Other times, lung congestion can be indicative of bronchitis or pneumonia. If left untreated, bronchitis can spread from the bronchial tubes into the lungs, progressing into pneumonia.
Pneumonia often begins with symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, like sore throat and nasal congestion or runny nose. Associated symptoms may include fever, chills, cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The cough usually produces thick sputum.
Early symptoms are similar to influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within a day or two, the symptoms typically get worse, with increasing cough, shortness of breath and muscle pain. There may be a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.
Bacterial pneumonia is more serious and often results in a gurgling sound when breathing and mucus or phlegm when coughing. If you are experiencing a cough and are concerned that it may be pneumonia, reach out to your doctor.
Does coughing up mucus mean you're getting better? In most cases, coughing up mucus means your body is working to fight off an infection, and it is in the healing stages. Drink plenty of fluids to help thin the mucus.
See a doctor if you have any of the following: Temperature of 100.4 °F or higher. Cough with bloody mucus. Shortness of breath or trouble breathing.
If you aren't feeling better after a few days, have a fever that isn't going away, are wheezing, or can't seem to shake the infection, make an appointment with your doctor. Chest congestion may indicate a condition more serious than the common cold or bronchitis.
Symptoms of Pneumonia
Cough (you might bring up yellow, green, or even bloody mucus) Fever. Shaking chills. Shortness of breath (for some people, this happens only when they climb stairs)
Pneumonia caused by a virus cannot be treated with antibiotics. Viral pneumonia usually goes away on its own.
Because the symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis overlap – with cough, fever, and sometimes difficulty breathing – they can be difficult to tell apart. Fortunately, a chest X-ray can show a visible difference between the illnesses, helping your health care provider diagnose your condition and treat it appropriately.
If bronchitis becomes pneumonia, a person's symptoms usually worsen. They will have a cough with mucus and a fever. If a doctor cannot diagnose pneumonia based on the person's symptoms, they may suggest a chest X-ray or blood test.
Serious medical conditions sometimes mistaken for pneumonia include: Acute respiratory distress / failure. Bronchitis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Walking pneumonia is usually diagnosed through a physical examination. The doctor will check your child's breathing and listen for a hallmark crackling sound that often indicates walking pneumonia. If needed, a chest X-ray or tests of mucus samples from the throat or nose might be done to confirm the diagnosis.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
Walking pneumonia symptoms include: Dry cough that's persistent and typically gets worse at night.
See your doctor if you have difficulty breathing, chest pain, persistent fever of 102 F (39 C) or higher, or persistent cough, especially if you're coughing up pus. It's especially important that people in these high-risk groups see a doctor: Adults older than age 65. Children younger than age 2 with signs and symptoms.
Symptoms usually appear within two to three weeks of becoming infected and can continue for weeks. A cough could continue for months. With walking pneumonia, you may feel like you have a cold. But symptoms are usually mild, so you likely won't need bed rest or a hospital stay.
Stage one: Congestion. The first stage of pneumonia occurs around 24 hours after developing an infection in the lungs. It also lasts for about 24 hours. During the congestion stage, the bacteria or virus has taken hold in the lungs and caused an infection.