Suggest Treatment For Severe Cold And Cough

Posted on Thu, 19 Jan 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 Answered on

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I have had a cold with a cough for 10 days. No fever. I do get cold suddenly sometimes, especially after sneezing at times. I have been coughing up phlegm past several days in small amounts. I do not need cold medicine to sleep. I feel a tightness in my chest that is not normal for me and I tire easily. Could I have pneumonia? I could call my doctor tomorrow.

Answered by Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Time to take a consultation.

Detailed Answer:
Hi Mrs XXXXXXX
Thanks for posting your query here.
Cold and cough can be due to infection in the upper airways like pharyngits and sinusitis with post nasal drip. However, chest tightness indicates that the symptoms take origin in your lungs. Chest examination to see if there is any wheeze or crepitations is needed to rule out conditions like allergic airways and pneumonia.
Generally you have high spiky fevers, chest pain which worsens with deep breathing and colored (Rusty/greenish/yellow) sputum in pneumonia. However, in the early stages where it is still evolving, you may not have all the symptoms.
So i would recommend a consultation along with some investigations like Chest X Ray and sputum examination which will confirm the diagnosis. A course of antibiotics will then be prescribed by your doctor which should bring you back to normal.
Hope i am clear. Feel free to post if you have any further queries.
Good luck.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj