Cold cough or acute bronchitis? Symptoms and duration

Cough or bronchitis – what is the difference?

When we talk about coughs, we often mean that we have a cold, a flu-like infection or perhaps even bronchitis. But a cough is not actually a disease in itself, but rather a clear symptom that something is wrong with the respiratory tract. Coughs can vary in form, duration and progression depending on the cause.

Unlike a cough, acute bronchitis is a disease in its own right. Typical symptoms include a persistent cough with phlegm, often accompanied by fever, headache and aching limbs. But what is the purpose of coughing when you have a cold or bronchitis?

Why do we cough when we have a cold or bronchitis?

When we catch pathogens such as cold viruses, our mucous membranes produce more mucus. This is because they are an important part of our immune system, designed to prevent viruses and bacteria from penetrating deeper into the body. The mucus contains the body's own defences, such as antibodies and enzymes, which capture the intruders and render them harmless. Coughing serves as a valuable protective reaction by our body to expel the pathogens with a powerful force. Even without an infection, coughing helps to protect our airways from foreign bodies or irritants and keep them clean.

Coughing with a cold

When you have a cold, a cough often only develops once the other typical symptoms have already subsided. As soon as the sore throat, headache, aching limbs and blocked nose start to ease, you suddenly get that unpleasant scratchy feeling in your throat, which is soon followed by an annoying cough.

After a few days of dry coughing, a productive cough with phlegm often develops, which lasts for about a week. However, even after that, the mucous membranes can remain irritated, and a dry, annoying cough can often persist for several weeks.

1. Dry cough

• Due to irritated mucous membranes.
• Duration: two to three days

2. Productive cough

• A productive cough manifests itself as a wet, mucous cough, with increased audible loosening and expulsion of mucus.
• Increased production of mucus to get rid of pathogens
• Duration: approx. one week

3. Dry cough

• Cold subsiding, but mucous membranes still dry and irritated
• Duration: up to several weeks

Coughing with bronchitis

Coughing with acute bronchitis is similar to coughing with a cold, but the symptoms are usually more intense and last longer.

In acute bronchitis, the cough usually starts as a dry, scratchy cough that can be really exhausting. After a few days, this turns into a cough with phlegm – often accompanied by a rattling sound when coughing and a tightness or pressure in the chest.

What types of cough can be distinguished in bronchitis?

1. Severe dry cough

• Bronchial tubes are inflamed and irritated
• Duration: several days

2. Transition to productive cough

• Clear, yellowish or greenish mucus
• Often accompanied by rattling coughing sounds
• Duration: one to two weeks

3. Long-lasting dry cough

• Inflammation subsides, bronchial tubes remain irritated
• Duration: 6–8 weeks

Cold or acute bronchitis? Signs, symptoms and progression

Bronchitis is often preceded by a classic cold with a runny nose, sore throat and fatigue, but it can also occur without prior cold symptoms. Acute bronchitis, like a flu-like infection, is usually caused by viruses. With a cold, the cough usually remains mild. Bronchitis is characterised by a significantly more severe, often painful cough. While a cold tends to affect the upper respiratory tract – i.e. the nose and throat – bronchitis is located deeper down, so to speak. Inflamed mucous membranes in the bronchi impair the function of the cilia. Mucus and pathogens are removed more slowly or not at all. As a result, breathing may feel more difficult and the cough may be accompanied by chest pain. Overall, bronchitis is usually more severe and can last for several weeks, while a normal cold often subsides more quickly.

Cold:

• Usually starts slowly
• Sore throat, runny nose and fatigue
• Coughing is less common and subsides after a few days
• Mild progression and symptoms subside more quickly
• Duration: 10 to 14 days

Bronchitis:

• Often begins suddenly with a severe cough
• Productive cough with clear, yellow or greenish mucus
• Sore throat, fever, fatigue, sometimes shortness of breath
• Intense and persistent cough, severely irritated bronchial tubes
• Duration: can last up to 6-8 weeks

A number of home remedies can be used to treat bronchitis. Prospan with the special ivy extract EA 575 also relieves bronchitis by loosening mucus stuck in the bronchial tubes, making it easier to cough up. Its relaxing effect on the bronchial tubes widens narrowed airways and makes it easier to breathe freely again. Prospan also relieves the urge to cough and combats inflammation.