Phlegm

Jai Ganesh · 2024-09-22 16:39:53

Phlegm

Gist

(flem) A more than normal amount of thick mucus made by the cells lining the upper airways and lungs. A buildup of phlegm may be caused by infection, irritation, or chronic lung disease, and can cause discomfort in the chest and coughing.

A more than normal amount of thick mucus made by the cells lining the upper airways and lungs. A buildup of phlegm may be caused by infection, irritation, or chronic lung disease, and can cause discomfort in the chest and coughing.

Coughing up phlegm is a symptom of infections like the flu and common cold. Phlegm is a specific type of mucus that originates in your lungs and throat. It's slightly thicker than the mucus that's produced in your nose and sinuses. Another name for phlegm is sputum.

Summary

When you breathe, allergens, viruses, dust, and other debris stick to your nasal mucus, which then passes out of your system. Sometimes, your body can make too much throat mucus, requiring frequent clearing.

Mucus is produced in the nose or by the lower airways in response to inflammation. It’s made by the mucous membranes that run from the nose to the lungs.

Its purpose is to protect your respiratory system by lubricating and filtering it. Excess mucus coughed up is referred to as phlegm.

Why do I feel like I have mucus stuck in my throat?

There are a number of health conditions that can trigger excess throat mucus production, such as:

* acid reflux
* allergies
* asthma
* infections, such as the common cold
* lung diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Excess throat mucus production can also result from certain lifestyle and environmental factors, such as:

* a dry indoor environment
* low consumption of water and other fluids
* high consumption of fluids that can lead to fluid loss, such as coffee, tea, and alcohol
* certain medications, such as certain birth control medications and ACE Inhibitors, for example, lisinopril
* smoking

How do I get rid of mucus in my throat?

If throat mucus overproduction becomes a regular and uncomfortable occurrence, consider consulting with your healthcare professional for a full diagnosis and a treatment plan.

What is the best medication for mucus in the throat?

Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. These may include expectorants, such as guaifenesin (Mucinex, Robitussin), which can thin and loosen mucus so it will clear out of your throat and chest. These may also include medications for acid reflux or allergies.

Your doctor may also prescribe medications such as mucolytics, for example. These include hypertonic saline (Nebusal) and dornase alfa (Pulmozyme), which are mucus thinners inhaled through a nebulizer.

If your excess mucus is triggered by a bacterial infection, your doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics.

Are there home remedies for mucus in the throat?

Your doctor may also suggest some self-care steps you can take to help reduce mucus, such as:

* Gargle with warm salt water: This home remedy can help clear mucus from the back of your throat and may help kill germs.
* Irrigate with saline spray: Try cleansing your nasal passageways with a saline nasal spray or a saline solution in a neti pot.
* Humidify the air: Moisture in the air can help keep your mucus thin.
* Stay hydrated: Drinking enough liquids, especially water can help loosen congestion and help your mucus flow. Warm liquids can be effective but avoid caffeinated beverages.
* Elevate your head: Lying flat can make it feel like the mucus is collecting in the back of your throat.
* Avoid decongestants: Although decongestants dry secretions, they may make it more difficult to reduce mucus.
* Avoid irritants, fragrances, chemicals, and pollution: These can irritate mucous membranes, signaling the body to produce more mucus.
* If you smoke, try to stop. Quitting smoking is helpful, especially with chronic lung diseases such as asthma or COPD.
* Try certain foods: Garlic, radishes, and high fiber fruit like apples may help reduce mucus. However, avoid high fat or dairy foods, which can worsen phlegm.

Details

Phlegm is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the throat nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as sputum. Phlegm, and mucus as a whole, is in essence a water-based gel consisting of glycoproteins, immunoglobulins, lipids and other substances. Its composition varies depending on climate, genetics, and state of the immune system. Its color can vary from transparent to pale or dark yellow and green, from light to dark brown, and even to dark grey depending on the contents. The body naturally produces about 1 quart (about 1 litre) of phlegm every day to capture and clear substances in the air and bacteria from the nose and throat.

Distinction between mucus and phlegm

Contrary to popular misconception and misuse, mucus and phlegm are not always the same.

Mucus

Mucus is a normal protective layering around the airway, eye, nasal turbinate, and urogenital tract. Mucus is an adhesive viscoelastic gel produced in the airway by submucosal glands and goblet cells and is principally water. It also contains high-molecular weight mucous glycoproteins that form linear polymers.

Phlegm

Phlegm is more related to disease than mucus, and can be troublesome for the individual to excrete from the body. Phlegm is a thick secretion in the airway during disease and inflammation. Phlegm usually contains mucus with virus, bacteria, other debris, and sloughed-off inflammatory cells. Once phlegm has been expectorated by a cough, it becomes sputum.

Excessive phlegm creation

There are multiple factors that can contribute to an excess of phlegm in the throat or larynx.

Vocal abuse: Vocal abuse is the misuse or overuse of the voice in an unhealthy fashion such as clearing the throat, yelling, screaming, talking loudly, or singing incorrectly.
Clearing the throat: Clearing the throat removes or loosens phlegm but the vocal cords hit together causing inflammation and therefore more phlegm.
Yelling/screaming: Yelling and screaming both cause the vocal cords to hit against each other causing inflammation and phlegm.
Nodules: Excessive yelling, screaming, and incorrect singing as well as other vocal abusive habits can cause vocal fold nodules.
Smoking: Smoke is hot, dry, polluted air which dries out the vocal cords. With each breath in of smoke, the larynx is polluted with toxins that inhibit it from rehydrating for about 3 hours. The vocal cords need a fair amount of lubrication and swell from inflammation when they do not have enough of it. When the vocal folds swell and are inflamed, phlegm is often created to attempt to ease the dryness.
Experiment on smoking correlations: In 2002, an experiment was done and published by the American College of Chest Physicians to find if there was a correlation of smokers with coughing and phlegm. In the study, 117 participants were studied, a mix of current smokers, ex-smokers, non-smokers, and a positive control of participants with a disease, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). At the end of the experiment, experimenters found that there was a high correlation between phlegm and cough with smoking of 0.49 (p < 0.001.)
Illness: During illness like the flu, cold, and pneumonia, phlegm becomes more excessive as an attempt to get rid of the bacteria or viral particles within the body. A major illness associated with excess phlegm is acute bronchitis. A major symptom of acute bronchitis is an excess amount of phlegm and is usually caused by a viral infection, and only bacterial infections, which are rare, are to be treated with an antibiotic.
Hay fever, asthma: In hay fever and asthma, inner lining in bronchioles become inflamed and create an excess amount of phlegm that can clog up air pathways.
Air pollution: In studies of children, air pollutants have been found to increase phlegm by drying out and irritating parts of the throat.

Removing phlegm

Excessive phlegm creation can be troublesome. There are basically two ways to get rid of excess phlegm: swallowing or spitting.

Phlegm naturally drains down into the back of the throat and can be swallowed without imposing health risks. Once in the stomach, the acids and digestive system will remove the phlegm and get rid of the germs in it. In some cultures, swallowing phlegm is considered a social taboo, being described as disgusting or unhygienic. One Igbo adage, for example, uses the swallowing of phlegm as a metaphor for wrongdoing. Also, due to the social image of spitting (the alternative of swallowing) in some communities, females were shown to be more likely to swallow phlegm and less likely to report experiencing it.

The alternative to swallowing would be throat-clearing. To do this, the mouth should be closed and air should be inhaled hard into the nose. Inhaling forcefully through the nose will pull excess phlegm and nasal mucus down into the throat, where muscles in the throat and tongue can prepare to eject it. Once this is done, a U-shape should be formed with the tongue, while simultaneously forcing air and saliva forward with the muscles at the back of the throat. At this point, the phlegm will be in the mouth and is now ready to be spat out as sputum.

Colors of phlegm

Phlegm can exist in different colors. The color could provide important clues about a person's health.

Yellow or green: Indicates an infection often by a virus or bacteria. The color is caused by an enzyme produced by the white blood cells combating the infection.
Clear: Indicates allergies. Mucous membranes produce histamines and make more phlegm.
Red: Indicates dry air. A nasal spray can be used to alleviate symptoms of a dry nose and throat. It can also occur due to blood (such as if the person had or has a bleeding nose, or a lung malignancy).

Illnesses related to phlegm

Phlegm may be a carrier of larvae of intestinal parasites (see hookworm). Bloody sputum can be a symptom of serious disease (such as tuberculosis), but can also be a relatively benign symptom of a minor disease (such as bronchitis). In the latter case, the sputum is normally lightly streaked with blood. Coughing up any significant quantity of blood is always a serious medical condition, and any person who experiences this should seek medical attention.

Apophlegmatisms, in pre-modern medicine, were medications chewed in order to draw away phlegm and humours.

Additional Information

Phlegm is a form of respiratory mucus produced by the lungs. The airways between the larynx and the respiratory bronchioles are lined by columnar epithelium over which an airway surface liquid (ASL) lies. This layer is between 5 and 100 μm thick.

The ASL is a tightly regulated liquid layer that protects the lung against infection. It is highly concentrated in secreted immunoglobulins, phospholipids, migratory cells, and signaling molecules. It comprises two distinct layers; the sol or periciliary liquid (PCL) layer, which interfaces the epithelial surface of the lungs and serves as a barrier between the second mucus layer. The primary function of the mucus layer is to entrap inhaled particles.

The mucus layer comprises high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated macromolecules comprising a tangled network of polymers. These polymeric glycoproteins are the products of the MUC5A and MUC5B genes; a protein core provides an anchor point for oligosaccharide side chains; the viscoelastic properties of mucus can be attributed to these oligosaccharides. Sulfhydryl bonds, formed between cysteine amino acids, contribute to the polymerization of the glycoprotein to result in the hallmark viscosity of the mucus.

The sol layer (periciliary liquid layer [PCL]) ensures that the mucus remains at an optimum distance (7 μm) from the underlying epithelia and affects the rate of mucosal clearance.

Collectively, the mucin and water contents, mono- and divalent ion concentrations, and pH of the ASL determine the properties of the mucin gel. The water content of the mucus is a tightly-regulated process driven by the movement of ions. Na+ reabsorption and Cl- secretion by the respiratory epithelial cells determine the passive movement of water across the epithelial layer.

The distinction between mucus and phlegm

Mucus and phlegm are considered to be two distinct forms of secretions. Mucus is considered to be a normal protective layering that exists in several areas of the body. These include the airway, eyes, nasal passages, and urogenital and gastrointestinal tracts. Mucus is an adhesive fiscal elastic gel produced in the airway by both the goblet cells and submucosal glands. High molecular weight mucus glycoproteins are responsible for forming linear polymers.

Phlegm is produced in response to disease and can be difficult to clear from the body. It is often produced in response to inflammation and contains glycoprotein-based mucus alongside immunoglobulins, viruses, bacteria, and inflammatory cells. Phlegm is typically restricted in its definition, referring to the mucus produced by the respiratory system in response to inflammatory stimulation. Once phlegm is expectorated, it is referred to as sputum.

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#1 2024-09-22 16:39:53

Phlegm

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