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A chest infection is an infection of the lungs or large airways. Some chest infections are mild and clear up on their own, but others can be severe and life threatening.
Chest infections often follow colds or flu.
The main symptoms are:
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.
If you have a chest infection, there are things you can do to ease the symptoms.
get plenty of rest
drink lots of water to loosen the mucus and make it easier to cough up
raise your head up while sleeping using extra pillows to make breathing easier and clear your chest of mucus
use painkillers to bring down a high temperature and ease headaches and muscle pain
drink a hot lemon and honey drink to relieve a sore throat
do not let children breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water because of the risk of scalding
do not give aspirin to children under 16
do not smoke – it can make your symptoms worse
Do not give hot drinks to small children. Do not give honey to children under 12 months old.
A pharmacist can recommend cough medicines to loosen the mucus in your lungs. This will make the mucus easier to cough up and help clear the infection from your lungs.
Cough medicines are not suitable for children under 6 years old.
You have a chest infection and:
You may have pneumonia if your symptoms are severe.
Treatment for a chest infection will depend on the cause.
A chest infection will either be caused by:
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.
You may need a blood test or a sample of your mucus may need to be tested to see what's causing your chest infection.
To avoid passing a chest infection on to others:
Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities.
If you keep getting chest infections or you're at risk of getting one (for example, because you're over 65 or have a serious long-term health condition):
