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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Chest Congestion Along With Cough And Chills?

Am 64 1/2. Starting about 16 days ago developed very "cold like" (head & chest congestion, coughing up greenish gunk which cleared up after a few days). Then after about 8 days went right into - flu like (?) symptoms (severe chills & body aches) for about 8 hours. For last 7 days headache and mild fever, mild chest congestion. Never had anything like this before - Could it be pneumococcal pneumonia?

Thanks
Mon, 18 Jun 2018
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Internal Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

To get right to your question, the answer is yes, it could be pneumonia (pneumococcal or other). 16 days is too long for a common infection. The two phases may indicate a complication (like development of pneumonia during the course of milder respiratory tract infections) or a new infection. The only way to find out is by testing. Your doctor may identify signs of pneumonia or other infection with clinical examination. Streptococcus pneumonia can be detected with a simple urine test (antigen identification in a urine sample). Other tests that may prove to be useful include a complete blood count (to check the white blood cells count and differential), C-reactive protein (high values may indicate a bacterial infection, lower counts are more in favor of viral infections) and a basic biochemical panel. In case of doubt a chest x-ray would clear things up. A negative X-ray at this point would exclude pneumonia. So in conclusion, I believe that this infection has lasted for too long and you should be examined by your doctor as soon as possible to diagnose the type of infection and suggest appropriate treatment.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
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What Causes Chest Congestion Along With Cough And Chills?

Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. To get right to your question, the answer is yes, it could be pneumonia (pneumococcal or other). 16 days is too long for a common infection. The two phases may indicate a complication (like development of pneumonia during the course of milder respiratory tract infections) or a new infection. The only way to find out is by testing. Your doctor may identify signs of pneumonia or other infection with clinical examination. Streptococcus pneumonia can be detected with a simple urine test (antigen identification in a urine sample). Other tests that may prove to be useful include a complete blood count (to check the white blood cells count and differential), C-reactive protein (high values may indicate a bacterial infection, lower counts are more in favor of viral infections) and a basic biochemical panel. In case of doubt a chest x-ray would clear things up. A negative X-ray at this point would exclude pneumonia. So in conclusion, I believe that this infection has lasted for too long and you should be examined by your doctor as soon as possible to diagnose the type of infection and suggest appropriate treatment. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.