Antibiotics aren't recommended for many chest infections, because 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).
These symptoms can be unpleasant, but they usually get better on their own in about 7 to 10 days. The cough and mucus can last up to 3 weeks.
your cough is particularly severe. you cough up blood. you experience shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or chest pain. you have any other worrying symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, a persistent change in your voice, or lumps or swellings in your neck.
"With a viral cough, you often have a fever which tends to go up and down," explains Coffey. "With a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia, you tend to have a consistently high fever - usually around 38-40°C." If your fever remains persistently high, it's worth giving your GP a call.
Often viral cases of pneumonia begin as congestion and cough with or without fever in the first few days. When a doctor listens to the lungs and finds breathing sounds are not clear on either side of the chest, a viral cause over bacterial is even more highly suspected.
HOW LONG DOES A CHESTY COUGH LAST? 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. If your cough persists for longer than this or gets worse, please speak to a medical professional.
Chest infections are common, especially after a cold or flu during autumn and winter. Although most are mild and get better on their own, some can be serious or even life-threatening.
Take a Hot Bath or Shower
In a similar way that using a humidifier can help open up nasal passages and loosen up your mucus, breathing in the steam and humid air from a hot shower or steam bath can help ease cough and other congestion symptoms.
Will I get antibiotics? Both pharmacists can write prescriptions, so if after examining you they feel you have a bacterial infection they are able to write you a prescription for the most appropriate treatment. Many conditions are caused by viruses and do not require antibiotics.
A chesty cough ('productive' or 'wet' cough) is one that produces mucus and may cause feelings of congestion in the chest. Unexplained coughing that lasts for more than 3 weeks may indicate that you have an underlying medical condition. You should always see your doctor if this is the case.
Chesty coughs are caused by viruses from colds and flu and they can happen after a sore throat.
Colds and flu often cause a short-term cough or, in some cases, can be followed by a chest infection. A cough is a reflex action that helps to clear your airways of mucus. It can be a symptom of other conditions, including a chest infection. Having a cough can be uncomfortable, but you don't have to just live with it.
Although most chest infections are mild and improve on their own, some cases can be very serious, even life-threatening. A bout of infection of the large airways (bronchi) in the lungs (acute bronchitis) usually gets better on its own within 7-10 days without any medicines.
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.
A dry, indoor environment Dry air can aggravate an already irritated nose and throat, making your nighttime cough worse. To relieve a dry air cough, you can try a humidifier to put moisture back into the air and make it easier to breathe, but be sure to take proper care of the unit.
Occasional coughing is normal as it helps clear your throat and airway of germs, mucus and dust. A cough that doesn't go away or comes with other symptoms like shortness of breath, mucus production or bloody phlegm could be the sign of a more serious medical problem.
You'll find that chesty coughs and mucus coughs are productive, whereas tickly and dry coughs are unproductive. Even though coughs are one of the most common health complaints, not many people know the difference between them in order to decipher which one they may be suffering from.
If you have a dry cough, a preparation containing an antitussive such as dextromethorphan or pholcodine is the most suitable to try. If you have a chesty cough, a preparation containing an expectorant such as guaifenesin or ipecacuanha is the most suitable to try.
Early symptoms are similar to influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within a day or two, the symptoms typically get worse, with increasing cough, shortness of breath and muscle pain. There may be a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.
Vicks VapoRub — a topical ointment made of ingredients including camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol that you rub on your throat and chest — doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub may trick your brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose.
Dozens of conditions can cause a recurrent, lingering cough, but the lion's share are caused by just five: postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic bronchitis, and treatment with ACE inhibitors, used for high blood pressure and heart failure.
The stages of a cold include the incubation period, appearance of symptoms, remission, and recovery.