Speak to a GP if: 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.
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.
A cough that lasts less than three weeks is usually the result of a common virus, like the cold or flu, and is rarely a cause for concern.
Antibiotics are only used to treat bacterial chest infections. They're not used for treating viral chest infections, like flu or viral bronchitis. This is because antibiotics do not work for viral infections. A sample of your mucus may need to be tested to see what's causing your chest infection.
"A cough is considered chronic if it persists longer than eight weeks," explains Dr. Safdar. "At that point, we start to worry whether the cause might be a chronic health condition that needs to be addressed."
A lingering cough can result from many conditions, including bronchitis, asthma, acid reflux, or chronic allergies. Natural remedies, such as drinking tea with honey or inhaling essential oils, can help. You may also need over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending on the cause.
In addition to lab tests, sputum or mucus from a cough can be visually examined to determine whether bronchitis is viral, bacterial, or both. Clear or white mucus often indicates a viral infection, while yellow or green mucus may suggest a bacterial infection.
Chills. Coughing that starts out dry is often the first sign of acute bronchitis. Small amounts of white mucus may be coughed up if the bronchitis is viral. If the color of the mucus changes to green or yellow, it may be a sign that a bacterial infection has also set in.
When to see a doctor. See your doctor if you have a cough that lingers for weeks, especially one that brings up sputum or blood, disturbs your sleep, or affects school or work.
A postviral cough is one that lingers after a person has recovered from a viral infection. It may last 3–8 weeks. These coughs typically clear up on their own.
Signs and symptoms
The most obvious symptom of acute bronchitis is a short-term dry hacking cough, which can become a productive cough that produces white or yellow sputum. Wheezing and shortness of breath may also be present.
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.
The infection will almost always go away on its own within 1 week. Doing these things may help you feel better: Drink plenty of fluids. If you have asthma or another chronic lung condition, use your inhaler.
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.
“If you persistently cough up frank, red blood, you should seek medical advice. Fever higher than 102°F, a fever that lasts more than a few days, shortness of breath, a change in the mucus color or coughing with unexplained weight loss are all also signs you should see a physician,” Dr. Supakul says.
Bronchitis can also, however, bring on chest discomfort and wheezing. While symptoms for either bronchitis or pneumonia can range from mild to serious enough to require hospitalization, symptoms such as fever, breathing problems, and chest pain tend to be more severe with pneumonia.
Treatment. Acute bronchitis usually gets better on its own—without antibiotics. Antibiotics won't help you get better if you have acute bronchitis. When antibiotics aren't needed, they won't help you, and their side effects could still cause harm.
What is a heart cough? In heart failure, your heart muscle has dysfunction that might be due to weak contraction or stiffness. This can allow fluid to back up in yout lungs, creating a condition called pulmonary edema. Your body coughs persistently in an effort to eliminate the excess fluid.
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.
Some coughs stick around after a cold or flu resolves — for up to 2 weeks or more — because your bronchial nerves are recalibrating. They may have been sensitized by the initial infection to react to the slightest stimuli. So even a very minor irritant such as dust could set off a reaction, says Omid Mehdizadeh, MD.