Symptoms

Pneumonia symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Rapid breathing
• Wheezing
• Chest or abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Exhaustion
• Vomiting

Bacterial pneumonia can come on gradually or suddenly. In the most severe cases, people may have:

• Shaking chills and chattering teeth
• High fever
• Moderate to severe chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• A cough that produces yellow, green or rust-colored sputum from the lungs

The symptoms of viral pneumonia at first resemble the flu - fever, dry cough, headache, muscle pain and weakness. However:

• After 12 to 36 hours, the person becomes increasingly short of breath. The cough becomes worse, and a small amount of mucus is produced. Fever may worsen. As breathing becomes more difficult, the lips may turn blue.
• In extreme cases, a bacterial infection may develop.

The symptoms and course of mycoplasma pneumonia infections, which is often the cause of walking pneumonia, are highly variable and may mimic strep throat or produce nothing more than a prolonged, annoying cough. Mycoplasma pneumonia may cause severe and prolonged attacks in people with asthma. The symptoms include:

• A severe cough that tends to come in violent attacks, producing a small amount of whitish sputum or mucus
• Chills and fever appear early in the illness
• Sometimes nausea or vomiting

Bronchitis symptoms include:

• Cough that brings up thick white, yellow or greenish mucus
• Headache
• Chills
• Fever
• Shortness of breath
• Soreness or a feeling of tightness in the chest
• Wheezing

Acute (short-term) bronchitis is characterized by:

• A wet or dry cough, which may cause chest pain
• Breathing may become difficult if wheezing or rattling in the throat develops
• Exertion may cause shortness of breath
• Extreme fatigue
• Low-grade fever
• Sputum may be clear, white, gray, yellow or green

Asthma may cause the cough, especially if wheezing and shortness of breath with exertion are prominent.

Chronic bronchitis

Except for chills and fever, someone with chronic bronchitis has the symptoms of acute bronchitis on most days of the month, which may last for months or even years.

Colds might last longer in people with chronic bronchitis. Wheezing, shortness of breath and cough may become routine and breathing more difficult.

People with asthma can have bouts of bronchitis that may come on suddenly and cause chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing.

More on Pneumonia and Bronchitis

In the Encyclopedia:

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.