Check My Chest
Have you had:
- a cough for longer than a few days, or a change to your normal cough?
- mucus that has turned yellow, green or other colours?
- feelings of getting out of breath more quickly?
- Feelings of your chest or breathing being a little tight?
Our clinicians can check your chest to see whether the infection is a viral infection, or whether there may be signs that antibiotics might be needed.
Chest infections
Background to chest infections
Chest infections can be caused by viruses and bacteria, with symptoms often being shared between the two causes. Bacterial chest infections usually follow on from an initial viral infection, often not starting for several days after the initial viral infection begins.
People who are more prone to developing bacterial chest infections include:
- People with respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD.
- People who smoke.
- People with learning disabilities
- People aged 65 and over
- People who are malnourished (this may be due to not having sufficient food to eat, or not being able to take in enough of particular vitamins and minerals).
- People with long-term liver disease due to alcohol consumption.
- People with suppressed immune systems.
What is the impact of a chest infection?
Chest infections cause symptoms such as:
- Fever
- Shortness of breath and other breathing problems
- Dark or blood-stained mucus
- Fatigue
More serious cases will require monitoring and treatment in hospital, and unfortunately around 25,000 people die annually from pneumonia, the most serious form of chest infection.
Treatments
The fact that symptoms are often shared between the causes of chest infections means that our clinicians will generally need to see patients in person to establish which treatment is most appropriate:
- Most often, the cause is viral, and our clinicians will support you to self-care for your symptoms.
- Our clinicians can prescribe antibiotics, if they feel that is appropriate.
For more information
Visit the NHS website
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