Conditions we treat by video
Many everyday medical problems can be assessed on a video call with a licensed Swedish doctor. When something needs a physical examination or a test, we arrange a visit at one of our clinics in Gothenburg, Stockholm or Malmö — or, depending on how you are, at your hotel or home.
Skin, nails and bites
Tick bite and Lyme disease
Ticks are common in Swedish forests, parks and long grass. Most bites cause nothing more than a few days of itching. Remove the tick as soon as you can and keep an eye on the skin for a few weeks: a red patch that appears after about a week and keeps growing can be Lyme disease (borrelia), which is treated with antibiotics. A doctor can often assess the rash by video.
Insect bites and stings
Mosquito, midge, wasp and bee bites are common in the Swedish summer. They usually cause redness, swelling and itching that peaks within a day and settles within a few days. Over-the-counter creams and tablets ease the itch. See a doctor if the bite becomes increasingly red, hot and painful after a few days, and call 112 at any sign of a serious allergic reaction.
Impetigo
Impetigo is a contagious bacterial skin infection, most common in children but possible at any age. Small blisters or sores, often around the nose and mouth, break and form yellow, honey-coloured crusts. Small areas usually heal with careful washing. If it spreads, covers a large area, or comes with fever, you need a doctor and sometimes antibiotics.
Acne
Acne is common and is not caused by poor hygiene. Mild acne often improves with gentle washing and over-the-counter products. A doctor can assess acne well by video and prescribe stronger creams or tablets when needed — for example if you have run out of a treatment that works for you at home.
Eczema and dermatitis
Eczema makes the skin dry, red, itchy and sometimes cracked or blistered. Travel, cold dry air, new soaps and hotel washing powders can trigger a flare. The basis of treatment is moisturising often and using cortisone cream on the eczema. Mild cortisone cream is sold without prescription; a doctor can prescribe a stronger one by video.
Fungal skin infections
Fungal infections thrive where the skin is warm and moist. Common ones are athlete's foot between the toes, an itchy rash in the groin and ringworm — round, red, scaly patches with a sharp edge. Many can be treated with antifungal creams sold without prescription. If it does not clear after a few weeks, or you are unsure what the rash is, a doctor should look at it.
Nail fold infection (paronychia)
A nail fold infection makes the skin next to a finger or toe nail red, swollen and tender, sometimes with pus. It often starts from a small cut, a bitten nail or an ingrown toenail. Mild infections can be treated at home. If pus has collected, the doctor may need to drain it, which is done in person — at one of our clinics or, depending on severity, at your hotel or home.
Cold sores (herpes labialis)
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. They start with tingling, then small fluid-filled blisters appear around the lips and crust over within about a week to ten days. Antiviral creams and cold-sore patches are sold without prescription and work best when started at the first tingle. If outbreaks are severe or frequent, a doctor can prescribe antiviral tablets by video.
Eyes
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the thin membrane covering the white of the eye. The eye becomes red and watery, and often sticky with yellow pus, usually in both eyes. It is common with a cold and usually clears within five days if you wash the eyelids carefully. Antibiotic eye drops are only needed in some cases. Pain, light sensitivity or reduced vision are not typical and need an eye examination.
Blepharitis (inflamed eyelids)
Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid margins. The edges of the eyelids become red, swollen and itchy, the eyes feel gritty and small crusts form in the lashes. It often comes and goes over a long time. The most important treatment is daily lid hygiene: warmth, gentle massage and cleaning. A doctor can assess it by video and prescribe treatment if self-care is not enough.
Ears, nose, throat and breathing
Cough
Most coughs come with a cold and clear up on their own, although the cough can linger for several weeks. See a doctor if you cough with fever and feel unwell, feel short of breath, have chest pain when you breathe in, or the cough has lasted more than four weeks. A video doctor can assess most coughs and tell you if you need to be examined in person.
Sinusitis
Sinusitis usually follows a cold: pain in the face, often on one side, a blocked nose and thick mucus. Most people get better on their own. See a doctor if you are not improving after about ten days, if the pain is severe, or if you have high fever or swelling in the face. A video doctor can assess you and prescribe treatment when it is needed.
Blocked nose
A blocked nose is most often caused by a cold, and sometimes by allergy, sensitive nasal lining, pregnancy or overuse of decongestant spray. It usually settles on its own. Saline drops and sprays are a good first step; a decongestant spray can be used for at most ten days. A blocked nose on one side that lasts a long time should be looked at by a doctor.
Ear pain (earache)
Ear pain (earache) is common and has many causes: a middle-ear infection after a cold, inflammation of the ear canal (swimmer's ear), pressure problems after flying, earwax or pain coming from the jaw or throat. To diagnose an ear infection the doctor needs to look at the eardrum, so earache often needs an in-person examination — at one of our clinics or, depending on severity, at your hotel or home.
Asthma
If you have asthma and have run out of your inhaler, or your asthma is a bit worse than usual — for example with a cold, pollen or cold air — a doctor can often help by video and send a new prescription to a pharmacy near you. If you are clearly short of breath, it is the first time you have these symptoms, or your medicines are not helping, you need to be examined in person. Severe breathlessness is an emergency: call 112.
Allergy and hay fever
Swedish pollen can trigger hay fever even in visitors who rarely have symptoms at home. Birch pollen dominates in spring, grass pollen in summer and mugwort in late summer. Typical symptoms are a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, itchy watery eyes and tiredness. Allergy medicines sold without prescription help most people; a doctor can prescribe stronger treatment by video.
Stomach and digestion
Nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are most often caused by a stomach bug or food poisoning, and usually improve within one to three days. The most important thing is to drink little and often to avoid dehydration. A video doctor can assess how you are and what you need. Depending on how severe it is, you may need to be seen in person — at one of our clinics or at your hotel or home.
Motion sickness
Ferries to the archipelago and across the Baltic, winding roads and fast trains can all cause motion sickness: yawning, paleness and tiredness, then nausea and vomiting. Practical tricks and over-the-counter medicines taken before the trip help most people. If they do not, a doctor can assess whether a prescription medicine suits you.
Pinworms (threadworms)
Pinworms are a common, harmless intestinal parasite, especially in children. The main sign is itching around the bottom, mostly in the evening and at night. The worms are white, thread-thin and up to about a centimetre long. Two over-the-counter medicines are sold at Swedish pharmacies; everyone in the household is treated at the same time, and the dose is repeated after two weeks.
Traveller's diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is the most common illness among travellers. It is usually caused by bacteria from food or drink and most often passes on its own within three to four days. The most important thing is to drink little and often. A doctor can assess you by video if you are unsure, feel weak, or it is not getting better.
Women's and sexual health
Period pain
Period pain is felt low in the abdomen, the back and sometimes the thighs, usually strongest on the first days of bleeding. Over-the-counter pain relief works well for most people, especially when taken early, and heat and gentle movement help too. If the usual pain relief does not help, or the pain is new or different, a doctor can assess you by video.
Nausea in pregnancy
Feeling sick and vomiting is very common in early pregnancy and is not harmful to you or the baby. For most people it eases around week 20. Small, frequent meals and rest help. If you cannot keep food or drink down, you need to be assessed, sometimes in person — at one of our clinics or, depending on how you are, at your hotel or home.
Vaginal thrush (yeast infection)
Vaginal thrush is a common, harmless yeast infection. It causes itching and burning around the vaginal opening and labia, sometimes with a white, grainy discharge. It often settles within a week. If you have had thrush before and recognise the symptoms, you can use over-the-counter treatment from a Swedish pharmacy. If you are unsure, pregnant, or it keeps coming back, a doctor should assess you.
Genital thrush in men
A yeast infection of the penis is uncommon in men who are otherwise healthy. When it happens, the head of the penis becomes red, dry and flaky, and it can itch and sting. It usually settles within a few days. Redness can also be a reaction to a partner's thrush, irritation from soap, or another infection — so if it does not settle within a week, a doctor should assess it.
Genital herpes
Genital herpes is a common virus infection spread mainly through sex. Many people have so few symptoms that they never notice it. An outbreak causes soreness, burning, small blisters or ulcers, sometimes pain when passing urine. Antiviral tablets ease symptoms and shorten the outbreak, especially when started early. A known recurrence can often be treated by video; a suspected first episode should be examined in person.
Postponing your period
If your period is due during a trip, a wedding or an important event, it can usually be postponed safely. If you use the combined pill, patch or ring, you can often skip the bleed yourself by leaving out the break. If you do not use hormonal contraception, a doctor can prescribe tablets that delay your period — they need to be started at least three days before it is expected.
Contraceptive pill
If you have run out of your contraceptive pill, left it at home or need a new prescription while you are in Sweden, a doctor can usually help by video and send an e-prescription to a pharmacy near you. Your home brand may be sold under another name here; the doctor finds a Swedish equivalent. Emergency contraception is sold without prescription at Swedish pharmacies.
Urinary
Urinary tract infection in women
A bladder infection (acute cystitis) causes burning when you pee and a frequent urge to go. In women who are otherwise healthy and not pregnant, mild symptoms often settle within a week, and a doctor can assess by video whether antibiotics are needed. Men, pregnant women, and anyone with fever or back pain should be examined in person.
Urinary tract infection in men
In men, burning when passing urine and needing to go often can be a urinary tract infection, but also a sexually transmitted infection or a prostate problem. Men need a urine test, and usually a urine culture, before treatment. That is why urinary symptoms in men are always assessed in person — at one of our clinics or, depending on how you are, at your hotel or home. You can start with a video consultation and we arrange the rest.
Joints and back
Gout
Gout is a joint inflammation that comes in sudden, very painful attacks — often in the big toe joint, often at night. The joint becomes red, swollen and so tender that even a bed sheet hurts. Attacks usually settle within one to three weeks. If you have had gout before and recognise it, a doctor can often help by video. A first attack, or a hot joint with fever, should be examined in person.
Lower back pain (lumbago)
Low back pain is very common and usually improves on its own within days to a few weeks. It can come on suddenly — for example when lifting a suitcase — with a locking feeling and muscle spasm. The most important advice is to keep moving as normally as you can; pain relief helps you do that. A doctor can assess typical back pain by video. Depending on how severe it is, you may need to be examined in person, at a clinic or at your hotel or home.
Medicines
More common problems are listed on our homepage. Medical emergency? Call 112.