Pneumonia - Community-Acquired Differential Diagnosis

Last updated: 31 March 2025

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Differential Diagnosis

Other conditions that may be considered in patients presenting with cough and dyspnea (with or without pulmonary infiltrates) include: 

  • Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Congestive heart failure with pulmonary edema 
  • Malignancies (eg lung cancer)
  • Non-infective consolidative processes of the lungs
  • Interstitial lung diseases (eg hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis, asbestosis) 
  • Pleuritis
  • Pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hemorrhage
  • Atelectasis
  • Aspiration of a foreign body or chemical pneumonitis 
  • Acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis 
  • Bronchiolitis

There are also other respiratory illnesses that may occur with or exacerbate community-acquired pneumonia. This includes acute exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute bronchitis, and respiratory viral infections including influenza.