This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Investigations to consider include:

  • chest radiology - if there is tachypnoea and crepitation
  • full blood count
  • C-reactive protein
  • blood cultures
  • urea and electrolytes
  • cough swab or sputum
  • blood gases may be indicated in the very sick patient

Findings such as a neutrophilia or a raised C-reactive protein level may be suggestive, but are not diagnostic of a bacterial infection.

"GPs will often have to make a diagnosis based on clinical features alone since other diagnostic tools such as chest Xray or sputum and blood culture may not be immediately available (1)." Ref: Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (1997), 35 (12), 89-92.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.