A chest infection is an infection that affects the lungs either in the larger airways (bronchitis) or in the smaller air sacs (pneumonia). There is a build-up of pus and fluid (mucus), and the airways become swollen, making it difficult for a patient to breathe.

Chest infections can affect people of all ages. Young children and the elderly are most at risk as well as people who are ill and smokers. A chest infection can be serious for these people.

There are some infections normally linked with chest infections. For example pneumonia can strike suddenly or come on slowly over a few days.

The symptoms will depend on the age of the patient, the cause and severity of the infection, and any other medical problems one may have. Among the common symptoms we have  fast or difficult breathing,  coughing with brown or green-colored phlegm , fever (sweating, shivering, chills) , feeling uneasy, blue colour around the lips (cyanosis),  stomach pain ,chest pain , headaches .

A child may vomit, have diarrhea and be irritable or lethargic.

Causes of chest infections include virus, bacteria and Mycoplasma (a special kind of bacteria).

Diagnosis of chest infections involve a number of tests that include Chest x-ray, sputum test (a sample of your phlegm) and some blood tests.

Most people with bronchitis can be treated at home and make a full recovery. Assessment of the severity of pneumonia is complex. Some patients can be managed at home on simple antibiotics. Those assessed as severe may require admission to the intensive care unit and their illness may be life threatening.

There are a number of treatment options to chest infections. The doctor will always advise you about any medications that you need to get over this attack.

Some people need to be admitted to the hospital for further treatment, particularly young children and the elderly who are at greater risk of serious complications.

Review from the local health provider may be needed within 48 hours, especially if you are not improving and again in six weeks to make sure that you have made a full recovery. A chest x-ray may be needed at this time.

Sometimes people need to take some daily routine precautions. For example if one has a bacterial chest infection, they should be able 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.

Vaccines are available to reduce the risk of some types of chest infection. Some groups like the elderly and people with chronic conditions can be vaccinated against one of the most common types of bacterial pneumonia.

A different vaccine is used for children. The elderly and people with chronic conditions are advised to have a flu vaccination every year before cold weather comes as influenza can be complicated by pneumonia. See your doctor for more information.

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