Cough with phlegm for two weeks

The colour of mucus alone cannot identify the cause or show whether antibiotics are needed. Your breathing, temperature, chest symptoms, medical history and whether you are improving matter more.

Acute bronchitis commonly presents with a cough that may bring up mucus and can linger after other infection symptoms settle. A common cold can also leave irritated airways and postnasal mucus. Asthma, allergic rhinitis, acid reflux and bronchiectasis are other possibilities, especially when episodes recur or there are additional clues.

Green or yellow phlegm can occur as immune cells collect in mucus; it does not by itself distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one. Blood-streaked mucus, repeated fever, breathlessness or deterioration changes the level of concern.

Drink regularly, rest, avoid smoking and second-hand smoke, and use warm drinks if they soothe your throat. Honey may ease coughing for adults and children older than one year, but it should not be given to an infant.

Arrange a routine medical review if the cough is not clearly improving, disrupts sleep or daily activity, or keeps returning. A clinician may listen to your chest and decide whether testing or treatment is appropriate. Do not start leftover antibiotics because the choice depends on the suspected cause.

Seek urgent medical help for severe difficulty breathing, blue or grey lips, confusion, fainting, or chest pain that is severe or persistent. Prompt assessment is also warranted for coughing up more than a small streak of blood, dehydration, a high or continuing fever, or symptoms that worsen after initially improving.

Contact a clinician sooner if you are pregnant, immunocompromised, older and frail, or have chronic heart or lung disease, because the threshold for examination may be lower.

Ask what diagnosis fits the pattern, whether your lungs sound clear, and whether any test is needed. Mention fever, wheeze, breathlessness, chest pain, blood in mucus, recent travel, sick contacts, smoking or vaping, medicines, and any previous lung condition.