If you have a bacterial infection, you'll be treated with antibiotics. In a mild case, you can take these at home in tablet form. If you have a severe bacterial chest infection, you may need to be treated with IV antibiotics in a hospital. Always take the full course of antibiotics, even if you begin to feel better.
Mild pneumonia can usually be treated at home with rest, antibiotics (if it's likely be caused by a bacterial infection) and by drinking plenty of fluids. More severe cases may need hospital treatment.
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.
A chest infection is an infection of the lungs or airways. The main types of chest infection are bronchitis and pneumonia. Most bronchitis cases are caused by viruses, whereas most pneumonia cases are due to bacteria. These infections are usually spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Many chest infections aren't serious and get better within a few days or weeks. You won't usually need to see your GP, unless your symptoms suggest you have a more serious infection (see below). While you recover at home, you can improve your symptoms by: getting plenty of rest.
However, if you have other respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis or pneumonia with COVID-19, you may have a wet cough that contains mucus. Does coughing up mucus mean you're getting better? In most cases, coughing up mucus means your body is working to fight off an infection, and it is in the healing stages.
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.
Anyone who has symptoms of a respiratory infection and has a high temperature or does not feel well enough to go to work, is advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They should follow the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19.
Drinking warm liquids
Warm water, tea, and other hot drinks help to thin mucus, making coughing easier. A 2008 study suggests that hot beverages can provide “immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of a runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness, and tiredness“.
Fruit and vegetables have vitamins and minerals that support your immune system to help you fight off chest infections. Starchy carbohydrates give your body energy for breathing and everyday tasks. Choose high fibre or wholegrain versions, such as brown pasta and rice or wholemeal bread.
Treatment from a GP
a virus (like colds) – this usually clears up by itself after a few weeks and antibiotics will not help. bacteria (like pneumonia) – a GP may prescribe antibiotics (make sure you complete the whole course as advised by a GP, even if you start to feel better)
Amoxicillin is a penicillin antibiotic. It is used to treat bacterial infections, such as chest infections (including pneumonia) and dental abscesses. It can also be used together with other antibiotics and medicines to treat stomach ulcers.
It can be easy to mistake symptoms of a cold, the flu, or bronchitis for COVID-19. This is especially tricky because the symptoms of COVID-19 can be mild. You won't be able to tell if COVID-19 is causing your symptoms without a lab test for the virus. Your doctor can help you know if you need a test.
Green mucus is an indication that your body is fighting off a more serious infection. While the green color may be alarming, it's a natural byproduct of the immune system activity necessary to fight off the infection. Consider seeing your doctor if your other symptoms are getting worse.
When you do cough up phlegm (another word for mucus) from your chest, Dr. Boucher says it really doesn't matter if you spit it out or swallow it.
White/Clear: This is the normal colour of phlegm. phlegm may be brownish in colour. have an active chest infection. This means that a visit to your GP would be advisable as antibiotics and/or steroids may be needed.
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.
If you have a bacterial chest infection, you should start to feel better 24 to 48 hours after starting on antibiotics. You may have a cough for days or weeks. For other types of chest infections, the recovery is more gradual. You may feel weak for some time and need a longer period of bed rest.
feeling generally unwell. sweating and shivering. loss of appetite. chest pain – which gets worse when breathing or coughing.
Take a steaming hot shower or hold your head over a steaming pot of water to help thin mucus and make it easier to expel. Warm steam opens and moisturizes stuffy breathing passages, and helps thin the mucus so you can cough it up and get phlegm out.
Avoid smoking, being around secondhand smoke or inhaling other irritants. Smoking aggravates symptoms and increases the risk of developing a more serious condition. Avoid taking cough medicines – there's little evidence they help. Coughing helps you clear mucus from your lungs to get over the infection faster.