LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Bronchitis: Pneumonia
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Chronic bronchitis is longer lasting (from several months to years). The bronchial tubes are chronically inflamed, red and swollen producing mucous over time. This type of bronchitis is often caused by smoking. Patients who have the condition in chronic state are more susceptible to pneumonia.
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Acute bronchitis is more common and usually is caused by a viral infection. Acute bronchitis may ... be called a chest cold. Episodes of acute bronchitis can be related to and made worse by smoking. This type of bronchitis is often described as being worse than a regular cold but not as bad as pneumonia.
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Pneumonia can have symptoms like acute bronchitis. Because pneumonia can be serious, it is important to know the differences between the two illnesses. Symptoms of pneumonia can include a high fever, shaking chills, and shortness of breath.
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It must be kept in mind that acute bronchitis can cause transient pulmonary function abnormalities. Therefore, to diagnose asthma, the physician must find changes that persist after the acute phase of the illness. When pneumonia is suspected, chest radiographs and pulse oximetry may be helpful in making the diagnosis.
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Sometimes the cough from acute bronchitis lasts for several weeks or months. Usually this happens because the bronchial tree is taking a long time to heal. However, a cough that doesn’t go away may be a sign of another problem, like asthma or pneumonia.
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One reason that acute bronchitis is such a common diagnosis in primary care practice is that physicians often lump various conditions together under the diagnosis of bronchitis. In the absence of clear diagnostic signs or laboratory tests, the diagnosis of acute bronchitis is purely clinical.5 Consequently, cough from upper respiratory tract infections, sinusitis or allergic syndromes (e.g., mild asthma or viral pneumonia) may be diagnosed as acute bronchitis.
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Pneumonia