Antibiotics aren't recommended for many chest infections. They only work if the infection is caused by bacteria, rather than a virus. Your GP will usually only prescribe antibiotics if they think you have pneumonia, or you're at risk of complications such as fluid building up around the lungs (pleurisy).
The symptoms of a chest infection are more likely to include coughing and bringing up phlegm. An upper respiratory tract infection may cause a cough, but it can also produce symptoms such as sneezing, a blocked or runny nose and a sore throat. The effects of a chest infection will also tend to last a little longer.
Speak to a GP if:
you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks. your cough is particularly severe. you cough up blood. you experience shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or chest pain.
Call your doctor if your cough (or your child's cough) doesn't go away after a few weeks or if it also involves any one of these: Coughing up thick, greenish-yellow phlegm. Wheezing. Experiencing a fever.
Like most other coughs, a chesty cough will usually clear up on its own within a couple of weeks. If you've had a cold, it's usually the last symptom to go away.
Most chest infection symptoms typically go away within 7 to 10 days, although a cough can last up to three weeks. See your doctor if your symptoms haven't improved or have gotten worse in this time.
If you have a chest infection, you should: Have plenty of rest. Drink lots to prevent your body becoming lacking in fluids (dehydrated) and to help keep the mucus in your lungs thin and easier to cough up.
"Pharmacists are trained to advise you on managing your symptoms," says Livingstone. "They are also used to recognising the signs of chest infection. If you're unsure, they can be a good place to start."
A pharmacist can help with a chest infection
Your pharmacist can suggest decongestant treatments to help loosen the mucus in your lungs so it's easier to cough up. Coughing up the mucus helps clear the infection from your lungs.
It often gets better without treatment in around 3 weeks. Some people have long-term inflammation of the airways in the lungs called chronic bronchitis. This is known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The symptoms of viral and bacterial chest infections are similar but the colour of any mucus coughed up may indicate the cause; white or clear mucus usually indicates a viral infection whereas green or yellow mucus suggests that the infection is bacterial.
When a chest infection is diagnosed, you will hear crackling or wheezing sounds that are occurring due to inflammation and fluid in the lungs.
Although chest infections aren't generally as contagious as other common infections, like flu, you can pass them on to others through coughing and sneezing. Therefore, it's important to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and to wash your hands regularly.
If your pneumonia isn't treated, the pleura can get swollen, creating a sharp pain when you breathe in. If you don't treat the swelling, the area between the pleura may fill with fluid, which is called a pleural effusion. If the fluid gets infected, it leads to a problem called empyema.
Symptoms of pneumonia
a cough – which may be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus (phlegm) difficulty breathing – your breathing may be rapid and shallow, and you may feel breathless, even when resting. rapid heartbeat. high temperature.
Chesty cough
Chesty coughs are sometimes treated with an expectorant called guaifenesin. This will help thin the mucus and make your cough more productive. Dextromethorphan is often in combination with guaifenesin to help calm the cough.
Drinking hot water with lemon and honey is a well-known remedy for a cough. "Hot lemon with honey has a similar effect as cough medicines," the NHS states. To make the concoction, squeeze half a lemon into a mug of boiled water, and then add one or two teaspoons of honey and stir.
The main symptom of bronchitis is a hacking cough. It is likely that your cough will bring up thick yellow-grey mucus (phlegm), although this does not always happen. Other symptoms of bronchitis are similar to those of other infections, such as the common cold or sinusitis, and may include: sore throat.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
Common symptoms of pneumonia include: a cough – which may be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus (phlegm) difficulty breathing – your breathing may be rapid and shallow, and you may feel breathless, even when resting. rapid heartbeat.