What is the Difference Between Tuberculosis and Pneumonia

The key difference between tuberculosis and pneumonia is that tuberculosis is an infection of the lung caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by viruses or bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Lung infections can be caused by a virus, bacteria, and sometimes even a fungus. The symptoms of lung infections include cough, produces thick mucus, stabbing chest pain, fever, body aches, runny nose, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing, the bluish appearance of skin or lips, and crackling and rattling sounds in the lungs. Tuberculosis and pneumonia are the two most common lung infections.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Tuberculosis 
3. What is Pneumonia
4. Similarities – Tuberculosis and Pneumonia
5. Tuberculosis vs Pneumonia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Tuberculosis vs Pneumonia

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is an infection of the lung that is caused by a Mycobacterium species such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis spreads from person to person through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. Tuberculosis was once rare in developed countries but began to increase in 1985. This is partly because of the emergence of HIV, which is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV weakens a person’s immune system, so it cannot fight tuberculosis germs. In the United States, tuberculosis began to decrease again in 1993 because of stronger control programs. However, it still remains a concern. Tuberculosis is of two types: latent tuberculosis and active tuberculosis. In the latent tuberculosis state, the bacteria are inactive, while in the active tuberculosis state, the patients show symptoms.

The signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis include coughing for three or more weeks, coughing up bloody mucus, chest pain or pain with breathing or while coughing, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, fever, night sweats, chills, and loss of appetite. Moreover, tuberculosis diagnosis can be made through physical examination, tuberculosis skin test, blood tests, imaging tests, and sputum tests. Furthermore, treatment options for tuberculosis include medications such as isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, a combination of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, and injectable medications such as amikacin or capreomycin, bedaquiline, and linezolid.

What is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by viruses or bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. It is an infection that inflames the sacs of the lungs called alveoli. The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include chest pain while breathing or coughing, confusion or changes in the mental awareness, fatigue, fever, sweating, shaking chills, lower the normal body temperature, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, and shortness of breath.

Pneumonia can be caused by different organisms, including bacteria (Streptococcus pneumonia), bacteria-like organisms (Mycoplasma pneumoniae), viruses (SARS-CoV2), and rare fungus. Moreover, diagnosis of pneumonia can be made through physical examination, chest X-ray, pulse oximetry, imaging test (CT scan), sputum test, and pleural fluid culture. Furthermore, pneumonia can be treated through antibiotics, cough medicines, and fever reducers/ pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen.

What are the Similarities Between Tuberculosis and Pneumonia?

• Tuberculosis and pneumonia are two different types of most common lung infections.
• Both diseases can be caused by bacteria.
• They may have similar symptoms.
• They can be treated through medications such as specific antibiotics.

What is the Difference Between Tuberculosis and Pneumonia?

Tuberculosis is an infection of the lung caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by viruses or bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. This is the key difference between tuberculosis and pneumonia. Furthermore, tuberculosis mainly affects the lungs, skeletal systems, and genitor-urinary system., while pneumonia mainly
affects the lungs.

The following table summarizes the difference between tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Summary – Tuberculosis vs Pneumonia

Tuberculosis and pneumonia are two main lung infections. Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium species, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while pneumonia is caused by viruses or bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. This summarizes the difference between tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Reference:

1. “Tuberculosis (TB): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Prevention.” WebMD.
2. “Pneumonia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Depiction of a tuberculosis patient” By Myupchar (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “X-ray of lobar pneumonia” By Mikael Häggström – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia