Such a symptom of a disease as a cough is known to every person. It appears almost always when an inflammatory process develops in the body. It is necessary to treat it long and tedious, but its consequences in the form of dry infrequent cough can be observed for another 6 weeks after recovery. Often a cough is accompanied by such an unpleasant and annoying "neighbor" as sputum. When it appears, it is imperative to consult a doctor, as it can be a symptom of a rather serious and dangerous disease.
Cough and sputum
So what is cough and sputum? Why do they arise and is there any relationship between these processes?
Coughing in itself is simply a reflex act in which foreign particles and sputum are removed from the respiratory tract.
Sputum is a secret that is produced by the bronchi and trachea.
Isolation of mucus is a completely normal process. It occurs in the respiratory tract and is designed to protect the bronchi and lungs from foreign particles, dust and all that can cause an inflammatory process.
In addition, mucus is a real “piggy bank” of cells of the immune system that can fight pathogenic bacteria.
Therefore, daily secretion of mucus is considered an absolutely normal process and does not require treatment. The appearance of a cough accompanied by sputum should be regarded as the first "bell" of the inflammatory process in the body.
Both cough and sputum occur due to the appearance of certain respiratory tract irritants. Depending on the pathology and course of the disease, cough and sputum may change. So, a cough from dry, unproductive can turn into wet. Sputum can change its color and consistency. It is important to know that it is the type of sputum that is important in establishing the focus of the disease and the appointment of treatment, taking into account the color of the discharge from the respiratory organs.
Types of sputum
Sputum released by coughing has a different consistency: it can be thick, viscous or liquid. For example, viscous sputum appears with a disease such as pneumonia. But inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract turn sputum from viscous into liquid. Moreover, its viscosity directly depends on the total amount of mucus in it.
Depending on the type of disease, sputum can change its color and composition. So, it can be:
- green or yellow-green (appears with pneumonia, bronchitis, flu - accompanied by a dry cough, which quickly turns into a cough with sputum; sputum may contain minor purulent impurities);
- transparent (for example, with asthma - accompanied by wheezing and dry cough, thick mucous secretions may form ) ;
- bloody (with cancer and pulmonary edema - a cough in which sputum includes blood streaks and pus; the cough becomes chronic in this case);
- bright red (with pulmonary infarction - accompanied by a painful cough and sputum with red blood streaks);
- yellowish brown (with an abscess of the lungs - accompanied by a painful cough, in which clots of blood and purulent lumps of small sizes are traced in the secreted sputum);
- white (with fungal infections of the lungs - accompanied by a cough, in which sputum may have purulent impregnations).
It was transparent, but became white
The mucus, which is secreted by the lungs and bronchi, is initially transparent. Existing impurities add a certain shade to sputum. If the sputum is white, it means that it contains such foreign compounds as:
- fungal pathogen in the respiratory organs;
- Curls Kurshman.
In the first case, this refers to atypical pneumonia, in which foamy sputum gets its white color due to white lumps. The more these clots, the more saturated the color of sputum.
Kurshman spirals are white corkscrew formations. Such sputum accompanies an allergic or infectious cough.
Thus, white sputum can accompany only a limited range of diseases. At the same time, only a qualified medical professional can make an accurate diagnosis.
It is important to know that discoloration is always accompanied by additional symptoms. These include:
- pain in the chest;
- loss of appetite;
- wheezing during breathing;
- shortness of breath;
- complication of breathing in general.
These symptoms never occur in the human body for no reason. Their appearance should alert the patient and prompt him to an early specialist visit.
What is white sputum talking about?
Mucus, formed in the lungs and bronchi, initially has no color. The appearance of a color occurs under the influence of various impurities. So what is white sputum talking about?
White sputum when coughing is a clear sign that too much mucus has accumulated in the airways. Moreover, this mucus is formed due to the development of a certain disease. Thick sputum of white color when coughing indicates the presence of a catarrhal disease in the human body, an allergic reaction (for example, dust or a pair of chemicals), pneumonia, asthma or bronchitis.
Sputum of white color, having a curd texture, indicates that there is a fungus in the respiratory organs. Similar sputum may indicate tuberculosis.
Sputum white may contain small bloody fibers. Most often, this indicates a pulmonary complication that appears due to damage to the vessels of the larynx during coughing.
Thus, sputum of a white color when coughing (especially in large quantities) is a clear sign of the development of one of the following diseases:
- pulmonary edema;
- Chronical bronchitis;
- asthma;
- viral infections of the respiratory tract (tuberculosis).
Sputum is there, but no cough
It also happens that there is no constantly tormenting cough as such, and a person for a long time continues to torment sputum of a white color when coughing. The reasons for this are increased production of a trancheobronchial secretion or a violation of its elimination. These reasons may arise due to the following pathologies:
- acute and chronic sinusitis (thick sputum of white color accumulates in the throat and flows down the nasopharynx, while there is no cough);
- pharyngitis and various forms of the course of this disease (with these ailments - sputum is white or transparent, the patient is tormented by constant sore throat; sometimes a rare dry cough may occur);
- chronic tonsillitis (this disease occurs due to the presence of a fungal infection in the body: the disease is accompanied by the accumulation of white mucus in the throat, as well as the appearance of plaque on the tonsils; the course of the disease is accompanied by a sharp bad breath and a constant feeling of the presence of a foreign object in the throat);
- Sjogren's syndrome (this pathology occurs as a result of the destruction of salivary and lacrimal cells; the oral cavity dries up, which causes the patient a false sensation of sputum clots in the throat);
- problems with the heart system (these diseases are almost always accompanied by stagnation in the lungs and the formation of mucus in the throat) ;
- allergy (direct contact with the allergen contributes to irritation of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, which is the reason that sputum is white, and in some cases transparent).
Foamy cough
Sometimes, when coughing, white foamy sputum appears. The causes of its appearance are various ailments, including infectious ones. Most often, such sputum accompanies serious health problems.
A cough with foamy sputum of white color may appear with senile changes in the body. This is due to the fact that due to age, the lungs lose their former ability to perform self-cleaning. In this regard, foamy sputum accumulates in the airways.
Such sputum can also occur due to coronary heart disease. This disease is accompanied by a protracted cough with copious discharge of foamy sputum.
Often, white sputum when coughing appears due to pleurisy and pneumothorax, as well as due to an overdose of certain drugs, radiation damage to the respiratory tract.
However, the most common reason foamy white sputum appears when coughing is a lung abscess. This disease is extremely serious and is accompanied by a painful cough, in which a large amount of this sputum comes out. However, it has a very unpleasant odor. In most cases, before the release of sputum, purulent mucus is removed from the respiratory tract.
Sometimes it happens
In some cases, cough and sputum can accompany a person for several months. In this case, no other symptoms of the disease, other than those indicated, are manifested. That is, a person does not have a fever, does not hurt, he feels well and does not experience any malaise.
Cough with white sputum without fever can occur for the following reasons:
- smoking;
- An allergic reaction to certain pathogens;
- venereal diseases;
- hit in the lungs of foreign particles;
- intoxication of the body with harmful substances, their penetration into the respiratory organs;
- exposure to ticks;
- heart failure.
In all these cases, the formation of excess mucus is observed in patients. Sometimes it is produced up to 1.5 liters. Naturally, such an amount of sputum cannot be swallowed (and even dangerous). Therefore, white viscous sputum when coughing (without fever) begins to come out.
If sputum appears in large volumes, it is necessary to consult a specialist. After a detailed examination of the patient, the doctor may prescribe a sputum test for the presence of any infections, fungal or bacterial lesions, as well as an analysis to determine the causative agent of a particular disease.
In addition, in order to establish a more accurate picture of the disease, medical specialists often prescribe radiography and other clarifying diagnostic methods.
How to treat?
There are many ways to remove sputum. You can get rid of annoying sputum with medications and inhalations. You can also resort to folk methods, treatment with herbs and herbal infusions.
If a person is adherents of traditional medicine, then the medication method of treatment is perfect for him. In this case, the doctor will prescribe the use of expectorants, as well as drugs that reduce the viscosity of sputum. Most often, these are mucolytic preparations based on bromhexine, ambroxol, acetylcysteine ​​(for example, “ACC”, “Lazolvan”).
In addition, almost all such medicines are based on herbal ingredients: mucaltin, breast collection, marshmallow syrup and more.
There are medications in the arsenal of doctors that can bring mucus to a normal state (Ambroxol, Ascoril). Such funds, as it were, regulate the viscosity of sputum: it becomes more fluid and leaves faster.
For the treatment of cough, which accompanies sputum of a white color, quite a lot of drugs are used that cause a reflex effect. The composition of such products includes natural components: essential oils, licorice, thermopsis. Such drugs include Gedelix, Herbion, and Doctor Theise. These funds have an irritating effect on the receptors of the stomach, as a result of which the bronchial mucosa enhances its work.
Therapeutic measures may include the use of antibiotics: Suprax, Amoxiclav, Doxycycline, Flemoxin, Ampioks. The choice of a particular drug depends on the cause of sputum formation, which can be established only by a qualified specialist.
Taking the wrong drugs will not only not help to heal, but will also aggravate the situation, forcing pathogenic bacteria to form immunity to the substances used in the medicine.
We treat ourselves
The appearance of sputum and cough require immediate medical attention. After all, only an experienced specialist will be able to conduct a comprehensive study and make an accurate diagnosis. It should be remembered that self-medication does not always lead to the desired positive consequences.
However, white sputum without coughing can be "destroyed" with the help of traditional medicine.
You can get rid of sputum (the release of which is not accompanied by a cough) using inhalation. It can be carried out on the basis of such medicinal plants as essential oils or boiled potatoes. Inhalation should be carried out in the morning and in the evening. Moreover, the duration of each procedure should not exceed 15 minutes.
You can resort to the use of warm herbal drinks. Good remedies are decoctions based on chamomile, linden, coltsfoot and sage. These herbal infusions are diluted with warm boiled water and used in small quantities 3 times a day.
If after 3-5 days of inhalation or the use of herbal infusions no improvement is observed, the patient should consult a doctor.
Proponents of alternative medicine are confident in the effectiveness of such tools as:
- jelly from viburnum and honey;
- pulp made from egg yolks, flour, honey and butter;
- beet and carrot juice, in which radish juice and fresh cow's milk are still added;
- infusion of sage;
- lemon juice with glycerin and honey.
There are those who are trying to get rid of sputum with the help of badger fat, figs with milk, linden tea, cranberry juice.
Do not resort to alternative medicine methods if cough and sputum are accompanied by fever and general malaise. In addition, it is worth remembering about possible allergic reactions to certain components of the above funds.
Exercise to help
There is a certain set of physical exercises due to which mucus leaves the respiratory organs of a person much faster. These exercises are called "postrual drainage."
So, in order to alleviate the condition of the patient, it is necessary to remove the pillow and put the patient on his back. Being in a similar position, he should slowly rotate 45 degrees, while making powerful exhalations and sighs.
As a result of this exercise, the accumulated mucus begins to secrete much faster. After completing the exercise, sputum should be spit out. The exercise itself, if necessary, is repeated 3-5 times.
Another option for getting rid of sputum are tilting in different directions. The specified exercise is performed in a position on the side (on the edge of the bed). Throughout the day, you can repeat this exercise 5-6 times (each approach of 5 slopes on each side).
You can also put the patient on his knees in bed. He should bend the body forward (enough 6 times), after which he should be at rest for a minute. If desired, this exercise can be repeated throughout the day (but no more than 5 times).
Performing such “therapeutic” gymnastics, it is worth remembering that it only helps to alleviate the patient’s condition and remove sputum from the respiratory organs for a short period. It is impossible to recover by gymnastics alone. Therefore, it should be carried out in conjunction with the use of medications (which will be prescribed by the attending physician).
It is worth remembering that physical exercises are best performed after consulting a qualified specialist. Exercise is contraindicated for people suffering from high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
Preventative measures
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, the appearance of sputum can also be avoided if you are not lazy and systematically take preventive measures.
So, at any time of the year, you must include in your daily diet as many foods as possible containing iron, magnesium and vitamin C.
During the period of seasonal viral exacerbations, you should avoid visiting public places (or use a medical mask), as well as drink a course of multivitamins. Also worth worrying about drafts, hypothermia, stressful situations and physical overload.
It should not be for a long time in poorly ventilated, smoky, smoky and dusty rooms.
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Summarizing
Often, cough is accompanied by thick white sputum. The reasons for its appearance can be various: from smoking and intoxication of the body to lung abscess. In this case, sputum production may be accompanied by high fever and other painful symptoms. In addition, thick white sputum during coughing may be released, at first glance, with absolutely no symptoms.
In any case, the appearance of sputum requires immediate contact with specialists. An experienced doctor can even diagnose the color of sputum. And additional diagnostic methods will help to establish the causative agent of the disease and the focus of the disease and take timely measures to recover a person.
It is worth remembering that any disease is easier to cure in the early stages. Therefore, if white sputum appears when coughing in adults or children, you should immediately pass a sputum test and seek help from a specialist.