If their disease is detected early enough, most people with pneumonia or bronchitis can be treated at home. Early treatment is essential in order to prevent life-threatening complications. These serious cases generally require hospitalization.

Pneumonia treatment

In young and healthy patients, early antibiotic treatment can cure bacterial pneumonia and can improve recovery from other organisms (mycoplasma, rickettsia) but there is no effective treatment for viral pneumonia. Which drugs are used will depend on the type of organism causing the infection and your doctor's judgment.

Supportive treatment includes: proper diet, oxygen when needed, medication for chest pain, and therapy to relieve cough.

A vigorous young person may recovery completely within one week. Older patients take longer (several weeks) to recover. Someone recovering from mycoplasma pneumonia may be weak for an extended period of time.

Bronchitis treatment

The most effective way to treat bronchitis is to get lots of rest, stay indoors if the weather is cold and windy, and drink lots of fluid to help liquefy mucus. Mucus should be coughed up, so avoid using cough suppressants.

Your doctor may prescribe or recommend an expectorant medication (mucolytics) to help loosen mucus, or bronchodilators (albuterol) to open air passages. Older people, who generally have lower resistance to bacterial infection, may need to take antibiotics.

Supportive treatments include: rest, staying indoors if weather is bad, increased humidity (cool mist humidifier) to soothe air passages, and increased fluids to avoid dehydration and thin out mucous secretions.

Symptoms usually disappear within 7 to 10 days in patients with no prior chronic pulmonary disease, however, some cases of viral bronchitis may take several weeks to completely resolve, especially in smokers and asthmatics.