Overview
Bronchitis and flu are both respiratory illnesses but differ in cause and severity. Flu is a viral infection that affects the entire respiratory tract and can lead to high fever, body aches, and fatigue. Bronchitis often develops after a flu infection and involves inflammation of the airways, leading to a persistent cough and increased mucus production.
Disease Summaries
Bronchitis: Bronchitis is the inflammation of the airways, most often triggered by flu viruses spreading to the bronchial tubes. Common symptoms include persistent coughing, increased mucus production, fever, and fatigue. The condition is typically viral in origin, not bacterial.
Flu: Flu is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus, commonly affecting the nose, throat, and lungs.
Comparing Symptoms
Overlapping Symptoms
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Fever
Bronchitis Specific Symptoms
- Persistent, strong cough
- Increased mucus/phlegm production
- Chest discomfort or tightness
- Wheezing
Flu Specific Symptoms
- Sudden high fever
- Body aches and chills
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
Treatment Approaches
Bronchitis Treatment Approaches
This condition usually improves without treatment. The doctor may prescribe medicines for the symptoms, such as cough suppressants and fever medications. Some patients may need an inhaler to help them breathe better during the illness.
Flu Treatment Approaches
Antiviral medications for the flu can lessen symptom severity and promote quicker recovery. To be effective, these flu antiviral medications should be taken within the first 48 hours of illness.
Reviewed By:

Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Apr 27, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E. Acute Bronchitis. 2024 Mar 9. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 28846312.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28846312/Woodfork K. Bronchitis. xPharm: The Comprehensive Pharmacology Reference. 2007:1–13. doi: 10.1016/B978-008055232-3.63026-0. Epub 2008 Jan 10. PMCID: PMC7151913.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7151913/Gaitonde DY, Moore FC, Morgan MK. Influenza: Diagnosis and Treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Dec 15;100(12):751-758. PMID: 31845781.
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/1215/p751.html