The difference between bronchitis and whooping cough is that bronchitis is the inflammation of the large and medium-sized airways of the lungs, usually caused by respiratory viruses and rarely by bacteria whereas whooping cough is a respiratory infection which is caused by the bacteria Bordetella Pertussis. The symptoms of both are so similar that it is quite a challenge to diagnose one over the other. Bronchitis refers to inflammation of the lungs.
Acute bronchitis goes away after many days or weeks, while chronic bronchitis usually lasts for months. The symptoms include cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, or wheezing. Treatment of whooping cough is different than bronchitis. Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics.