Chronic Bronchitis vs. Emphysema
Chronic Bronchitis vs. Emphysema
Signs and Symptoms
| Chronic Bronchitis (Blue Bloater) |
Emphysema (Pink Puffer) |
| Chronic, productive cough |
Dyspnea |
| Purulent sputum |
Minimal cough |
| Hemoptysis |
Increased minute ventilation |
| Mild dyspnea initially |
Pink skin, Pursed-lip breathing |
| Cyanosis (due to hypoxemia) |
Accessory muscle use |
| Peripheral edema (due to cor pulmonale) |
Cachexia |
| Crackles, wheezes |
Hyperinflation, barrel chest |
| Prolonged expiration |
Decreased breath sounds |
| Obese |
Tachypnea |
Complications
| Chronic Bronchitis (Blue Bloater) |
Emphysema (Pink Puffer) |
| Secondary polycythemia vera due to hypoxemia. |
Pneumothorax due to bullae |
| Pulmonary hypertension due to reactive vasoconstriction from hypoxemia |
Weight loss due to work of breathing |
| Cor pulmonale from chronic pulmonary hypertension |
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