Suggest Treatment For Sore Throat, Congestion And Chest Tightness

Posted on Tue, 10 Mar 2015

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

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 Answered on

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a sore throat - scratchy (feels like I swallowed ice shards), congested, chest tightness, fatigue and off and on fever/chills. This is day 3. Will this go away in its own?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Can't be sure

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

although the most likely cause is a viral infection, nobody can say for sure if it will go away or not. Viral infections (except specific infections like influenza, herpes etc) go away on their own. There are no treatments for them. If it's influenza, then the usual duration is between 3-5 days.

Sometimes the same symptoms can be caused by bacteria and the same clinical picture may be caused by more serious diseases like pneumonia.

A careful clinical examination may distinguish between a serious and a trivial infection. Sometimes laboratory or radiological tests might be needed.

I hope my answer is helpful for you!
I'll be glad to answer any further questions, you may have.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar