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.
Check if you have a chest infection
Chest infections often follow colds or flu.
The main symptoms are:
- a chesty cough – you may cough up green or yellow mucus
- wheezing and shortness of breath
- chest pain or discomfort
- a high temperature
- a headache
- aching muscles
- tiredness
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.
How to treat a chest infection yourself
If you have a chest infection, there are things you can do to ease the symptoms.
Do
-
get plenty of rest
-
drink lots of water to loosen the mucus and make it easier to cough up
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raise your head up while sleeping using extra pillows to make breathing easier and clear your chest of mucus
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use painkillers to bring down a high temperature and ease headaches and muscle pain
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drink a hot lemon and honey drink to relieve a sore throat
Don’t
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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
How to make a hot lemon and honey drink
- Squeeze half a lemon into a mug of boiled water
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey
- Drink while still warm
Do not give hot drinks to small children. Do not give honey to children under 12 months old.
A pharmacist can help with a chest infection
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.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
You have a chest infection and:
- you feel very unwell or your symptoms get worse
- you cough up blood or blood-stained mucus
- you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks
- you're pregnant
- you're over 65
- your immune system is weak – for example, you have a condition like diabetes or you're having chemotherapy
- you have a long-term health condition, such as a heart, lung or kidney condition
You may have pneumonia if your symptoms are severe.
Treatment from a GP for a chest infection
Treatment for a chest infection will depend on the cause.
A chest infection will either be caused by:
- a virus (like viral bronchitis) – 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 the GP, even if you start to feel better)
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.
How to prevent chest infections
How to avoid spreading chest infections
To avoid passing a chest infection on to others:
- cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
- wash your hands regularly
- throw away used tissues immediately
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.
How to avoid getting a chest infection
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):
- ask a GP about the annual flu vaccine
- ask if you should have the pneumococcal vaccine – this helps prevent pneumonia
- try to quit smoking if you smoke
- cut down on how much alcohol you drink
Page last reviewed: 21 June 2023
Next review due: 21 June 2026