Chest cold (acute bronchitis): how long it lasts and why antibiotics do not help

Signs of a chest cold last less than 3 weeks and can include:

• A cough, with or without mucus
• A sore chest from coughing
• Feeling tired
• A mild headache or mild body aches
• A sore throat

A virus usually causes a chest cold. Even when bacteria cause it, antibiotics are not recommended and will not help you feel better. They can also cause side effects, from a mild rash to a serious allergic reaction.

• Rest, and drink plenty of fluids.
• Use a clean humidifier or a cool mist vaporizer.
• Breathe in steam from a hot shower. Adults can also use a bowl of hot water. For a young child, sit together in a bathroom filled with steam from a running shower instead.
• Use pasteurized honey to ease a cough in adults and children 1 year and older. Never give honey to a baby younger than 1.
• Use throat lozenges or cough drops. Do not give them to children younger than 4.
• Ask a doctor or pharmacist which over-the-counter medicines are safe for you or your child.

Call 911 or go to the emergency room for severe trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, blue or gray lips, confusion, fainting, coughing up a lot of blood, or noisy, high-pitched breathing with drooling or trouble swallowing.

See a doctor if you have:

• A fever that lasts longer than 5 days, or a fever of 104°F or higher
• A cough with bloody mucus
• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Symptoms that last more than 3 weeks
• Chest colds that keep coming back

A baby younger than 3 months with a fever of 100.4°F or higher needs a doctor right away.

If you are in Virginia or West Virginia, you can start a visit online at any time. It is for otherwise healthy adults and children 4 and older (with a parent or legal guardian) with a cough that started 3 weeks ago or less.

A board-certified physician reviews your answers. This visit does not give antibiotics. The doctor can suggest over-the-counter medicine and home care, and may prescribe a cough medicine, or an inhaler for mild wheezing, when it is right for you.

It is not the right fit if you have:

• Severe trouble breathing, shortness of breath at rest, chest pain or pressure, blue or gray lips, confusion or fainting (call 911)
• A home oxygen reading below 95% (92% or lower is an emergency)
• Noisy, high-pitched breathing, drooling or trouble swallowing (call 911)
• Coughing up blood
• A fever over 100.4°F with shaking chills while breathing fast or feeling very sick
• A cough that has lasted more than 3 weeks, or signs of whooping cough, like coughing fits that end with a whooping sound or throwing up
• Asthma, COPD or another lung disease that is flaring, or a heart condition
• New wheezing with shortness of breath at rest
• A weak immune system, or a recent hospital stay
• A pregnancy, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant

Visits start at $59. You see the price before you pay, and you do not need insurance.