Cough, Cold, Sinus or Respiratory Infection in Spain: Do You Need a Doctor or Antibiotics?

Cough, cold, flu and COVID in Spain

Coughs, colds, flu-like illnesses, COVID-19 and other respiratory infections are common reasons for seeking advice. If you are looking for a cough doctor in Spain, or for advice about a cold, flu or influenza in Spain, the useful first step is a calm look at the symptoms rather than an assumption about treatment.

COVID-19 and influenza can have overlapping symptoms, so symptoms alone do not always tell them apart. Many uncomplicated coughs, colds, flu-like illnesses and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are viral, and antibiotics do not treat viral infections.

An acute cough can last several weeks. A dry cough, a productive or chesty cough, a cough with mucus or phlegm, and a sore throat can all be part of a viral respiratory tract infection (an RTI). Persistence alone does not mean antibiotics are needed.

This service does not carry out COVID or flu tests.

Respiratory infection, bronchitis and chest symptoms

People use different words for the same problem: respiratory infection, chest infection, chest cold, acute bronchitis, a productive cough, phlegm or mucus. Acute bronchitis is usually viral. Coloured mucus alone does not prove that antibiotics are needed.

Uncomplicated bronchitis is not the same as a situation in which pneumonia or another significant condition needs to be considered. Breathing, chest pain, fever and how quickly things are changing matter more than the colour of the mucus.

Seek prompt medical assessment for the following. This is not a complete list of emergencies:

• Significant difficulty breathing.
• Significant chest pain.
• Coughing blood.
• Persistent or high fever.
• Symptoms that are getting worse quickly.
• Symptoms lasting longer than expected.
• Significant underlying heart or lung disease, or immunosuppression.

Sinus infection (sinusitis)

A sinus infection in Spain — sinusitis — often causes a blocked or stuffy nose, a runny nose, facial pressure or pain, headache, post-nasal drip, a sore throat and a cough. Many sinus infections do not need antibiotics.

Medical assessment matters more when symptoms are severe, last more than about 10 days without improvement, worsen after initially improving, or a fever persists. That pattern is not an automatic rule for antibiotics. Whether treatment is appropriate is decided after a clinical assessment.

Do I need antibiotics for a cough, sinus infection or respiratory infection?

Antibiotics treat certain bacterial infections. They do not treat viral colds, influenza or most uncomplicated acute bronchitis. Green or yellow mucus, a bad cough, or mucus and phlegm do not automatically mean antibiotics.

The duration and pattern of symptoms, your temperature, your breathing, any chest symptoms, what can be assessed clinically and your medical history all matter.

For an uncomplicated presentation, a doctor may recommend symptomatic treatment and observation rather than immediate antibiotics.

Not every respiratory infection needs antibiotics.

Sometimes waiting a few days is the right medical decision.

Before you speak to a doctor: check these 6 things

Arriving with this information makes the consultation more useful than simply asking for antibiotics.

1. 1 Temperature. Measure it. Note the highest temperature, when it happened, and how many days of fever you have had.
2. 2 Duration. How many days have you been ill?
3. 3 Direction. Are you getting better, staying the same, getting worse, or improving and then worsening again?
4. 4 Type of cough. Dry, chesty or productive, with mucus or phlegm, worse at night, or with wheezing?
5. 5 Breathing and general symptoms. Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, marked weakness, or feeling much more unwell than you expected?
6. 6 Medicines already taken. Over-the-counter and cough medicines, paracetamol or ibuprofen, and any antibiotics you have already started.

Other treatments

When should you seek urgent or in-person medical care?

An online consultation is not appropriate for every respiratory presentation. Examples include significant difficulty breathing, severe or significant chest pain, coughing blood, confusion or severe weakness, a rapidly deteriorating condition, and suspected pneumonia or another serious infection. The same applies if you have a reliable pulse oximeter and a significant drop in oxygen.

This service is for patients aged 6 and over. If severe symptoms are present, seek urgent in-person assessment or the emergency services. In Spain the emergency number is 112.