Infectious bronchitis generally begins with the symptoms of a common cold: runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, and chilliness.

Cough-variant asthma is somewhat difficult to diagnose because the cough may be the only symptom, and cough itself may appear to be bronchitis or cough associated with postnasal drip.

Sore throats, backaches, headaches and bronchitis do not need to be treated by a separate ENT, orthopedist, neurologist and pulmonologist, unless the internist fails to make the symptoms better.