What Does a Pneumonia Cough Sound Like? How to Know the Difference

Do you know what a pneumonia cough sounds like? The coughing sound that someone makes when they have pneumonia can sound much like any other cough to the untrained ear. So how can you tell the difference between a pneumonia cough and a standard cough from having the common cold? In the points below, we’ll help you identify the key differences so that you can stay HELFIE.

It's worth mentioning from the outset that depending on its cause, a cough can be serious and potentially even life-threatening. It also serves as an early indicator of dangerous illnesses like pneumonia, so it’s important not to ignore the signs and seek medical help.

Thankfully, the intuitive HELFIE Cough Screening app is just a few clicks of the button away. This revolutionary app uses clever artificial intelligence technology to analyse your cough giving you an instant risk assessment.

What does a pneumonia cough sound like?

Aside from the many other symptoms that can indicate if someone has pneumonia (bluish lips, fever, heavy sweating, lack of appetite, rapid breathing/pulse, lethargy, muscle pain and headaches), the illness has its own distinct cough.

Pneumonia coughs tend to be “deeper”, emanating from lower in the lungs and typically accompanied by mucus. This is because our lung sacs fill with mucus as a defence mechanism against whatever virus or bacteria we’re battling.

Pneumonia cough vs. covid cough

Of course, in this day and age, many of us think “COVID” as soon as we start coughing. So how do you know whether your cough is a symptom of COVID or pneumonia (or just a standard cold)?

First and foremost, COVID tends to be a dry cough – i.e. unaccompanied by mucus. On the other hand, coughing up mucus is almost certain among people experiencing pneumonia, so this is a fairly fast and definitive way to distinguish the two coughs from one another.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms that are reminiscent of either pneumonia or COVID-19, it’s essential to seek professional medical attention as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment is key.

Check your cough, with Helfie

Helfie is changing the way patients engage with medical professionals worldwide. The mobile app uses sophisticated AI technology to analyse a recording of your cough, assess your lung health and detect signs of pneumonia, COVID-19 and other respiratory conditions. The app will also prompt you to answer three straightforward questions about your symptoms. This combined information allows Helfie’s AI technology to place you on a pneumonia risk scale between 1 and 10.

The Helfie Cough Checker App was developed in close consultation with numerous respiratory specialists and doctors with extensive expertise in detecting/treating coughs. Over 48,000 cough samples were used to fine-tune this state-of-the-art technology.

Healthcare has never been more convenient, affordable and accessible. Use Helfie to check if your cough sounds like pneumonia; to send pictures of skin abnormalities for evaluating​ skin cancer risk; or, in the near future, to receive instant diagnoses on your risk of carrying sexually-transmitted infections (STI’s) – all in the palm of your hand.