Respiratory symptoms assessed today
Coughs, chest infections and sore throats are the most common reason people look for a doctor at short notice — and most of them can be assessed safely by video. Our Irish-registered doctors take a full history, look at your throat and breathing on camera, and tell you what this is, what to do about it, and what would make it urgent.
What we assess by video
- Chest infections and bronchitis
- A cough that has not settled after two to three weeks
- Sore throat and tonsillitis
- Sinusitis and persistent nasal congestion
- Flu, COVID-19 and other viral illness
- Asthma or COPD symptoms that have worsened
Upper and lower respiratory infections
Respiratory tract infections can affect your sinuses, throat, airways or lungs. Doctors group them into two kinds:
- Upper (nose, sinuses and throat): colds, sinusitis, tonsillitis and laryngitis.
- Lower (airways and lungs): bronchitis, bronchiolitis, chest infections and pneumonia. These tend to last longer and can be more serious.
Flu can be either. Most respiratory infections pass within 1 to 2 weeks and can be looked after at home.
Sore throat, blocked nose and the other symptoms
Not every respiratory infection reaches your chest. The HSE lists the usual symptoms as a cough (sometimes with mucus), sneezing, a stuffed or runny nose, a sore throat, headaches, muscle aches, breathlessness or a tight chest, a high temperature and feeling generally unwell. You may have a few of these or most of them.
For a sore throat, gargling with warm salt water can help: dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, gargle, then spit it out. This is not suitable for children. A hot lemon and honey drink soothes a cough, but do not give honey to babies or hot drinks to small children.
If you buy a cold or flu remedy, check whether it already contains paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you are taking those separately, it is easy to go over the recommended dose. Some products are not suitable for children, babies or pregnant women, so ask your pharmacist.
Is it flu or a cold?
The speed tells you a lot. Flu comes on quickly, often within a few hours, and leaves you exhausted and unable to carry on as normal. It affects more than your nose and throat. A cold builds gradually over a day or two, mostly affects your nose and throat, and most people can keep going with it.
Both are viral, so antibiotics do not help either of them, and you look after yourself the same way: rest, drink plenty of fluids and take paracetamol or ibuprofen if you need them. If you are 65 or over, pregnant or have a long-term condition, the HSE advises asking your GP or pharmacist about the yearly flu vaccine.
Signs of a chest infection
Chest infections often follow a cold or flu. The HSE lists the main symptoms as:
- a chesty, wet cough, often bringing up green or yellow mucus
- wheezing and shortness of breath
- a temperature of 38°C or above
- headache, aching muscles and tiredness
Most chest infections get better on their own in about 7 to 10 days, though the cough and mucus can hang on for up to 3 weeks. It is that lingering cough that worries people most, and on its own it is usually part of normal recovery.
Looking after yourself at home
- Get plenty of rest.
- Drink lots of water. It loosens mucus and makes it easier to cough up.
- Use paracetamol or ibuprofen to bring down a fever and ease headache and aches.
- Sleep with extra pillows to raise your head.
- A hot drink with lemon and honey can soothe a sore throat (no honey for babies under 1).
- Do not smoke, and do not give aspirin to anyone under 16.
Your pharmacist can suggest decongestants or nasal sprays. Cough medicines and lozenges are widely sold, but there is little evidence that they help.
When to see a doctor
Book a consultation if you have a chest or respiratory infection and:
- you feel very unwell, or your symptoms are getting worse
- you cough up blood or blood-stained mucus
- your cough has lasted more than 3 weeks
- you are pregnant or aged 65 or over
- you have a weak immune system (for example from diabetes or chemotherapy)
- you have a long-term heart, lung or kidney condition
- you still feel unwell after finishing a course of antibiotics
Severe symptoms can mean pneumonia, which needs prompt medical care.
When you need to be seen in person instead
Video has limits, and we are direct about them. Go to an emergency department or call 112/999 if you have severe breathlessness at rest, chest pain, blue lips, confusion or drowsiness, or if you are coughing blood. A video consultation is not the right route for those, and your doctor will say so immediately if any of it comes up.
What a video consultation cannot check
Your doctor can watch how you breathe, look at your throat on camera and take a careful history. They cannot listen to your chest with a stethoscope, measure your oxygen level unless you have a pulse oximeter at home, or take a chest X-ray during the call. If your history suggests pneumonia or another problem that needs those checks, they will tell you where to go and how soon, or arrange a referral for imaging.
Antibiotics are not automatic
Most respiratory infections are viral, and antibiotics do nothing for them. Your doctor recommends treatment where the assessment points to a bacterial infection, and explains the reasoning either way — including what should improve, by when, and when to come back. That is a clinical decision, not something bookable in advance.
If you do need antibiotics
Take them exactly as your doctor tells you, and finish the course even if you start to feel better. Antibiotics do not work for viruses, so a course that was not needed only adds side effects and resistance. Sometimes a doctor asks for a sample of mucus to be tested, to find out what caused the infection. If you are not improving as expected, or you still feel unwell after finishing the course, book a review.
Avoiding passing it on
Coughs and sneezes spread these infections. Cough into your elbow or a tissue, bin tissues straight away and wash your hands often with soap and warm water. The HSE advises waiting until your temperature has been normal (under 38°C) for at least 24 hours before mixing with others, and keeping away from newborns, older people and anyone with a weak immune system until your cough has gone.
If you are 65 or over or have a long-term condition, ask your GP or pharmacist about the yearly flu vaccine and whether you should have the pneumococcal vaccine, which helps prevent pneumonia.
Related services
- GP Consultation Online — the same-day assessment itself.
- Sick Cert — a certificate for time off, where the assessment supports it.
- Chronic Conditions: GP Review Online — for asthma and COPD reviews between flare-ups.
- Specialist Referral & Diagnostic Investigation Consultation — chest imaging or specialist input where a cough is not resolving.
Consultations are available in English, and in Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Czech with the doctors who speak them — see the full Irish roster.
Book a same-day consultation
Get your respiratory symptoms assessed today.
Sources
- Respiratory tract infections (HSE)
- Flu (NHS)
- Chest infection (HSE)
- Cough (acute), antimicrobial prescribing (NICE NG120)
- Bronchitis (NHS)