Symptoms | Mucus in the bronchi

Symptoms

The symptoms associated with mucusy bronchial tubes can be easily deduced. The body naturally tries to get the increased mucus out of the airways so that coughing occurs. This is called a productive cough, because the cough causes mucus to be present in the mouth.

If the cause of the mucus is an infection, the mucus may have an unpleasant taste. If the cough is not effective, it can also lead to a slight shortness of breath. This is more likely to occur in babies and small children.

Since the increased production of mucus often occurs in the context of an infection, it is accompanied by other symptoms such as a cold, sore throat, fever, headache and aching limbs. In the advanced stages of COPD, the disease also causes shortness of breath, which in turn leads to a reduced ability to cope with stress. However, it can also be the case that the coughing stimulus is completely absent.

It is not possible to explain why mucusy bronchial tubes develop without an occasional cough. The cough is part of the body’s automatic protective reflex. It is possible that the cough is absent when the beat of the hairs is sufficient to transport the mucus away.

In this case, however, the bronchi may not be excessively mucusy. Breathlessness occurs in connection with mucusy bronchial tubes, particularly in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this disease, the bronchial mucosa swells.

More mucus is produced and at the same time the bronchial tubes become narrower so that less air passes through the airways. There are different stages of COPD. With each stage the shortness of breath gets worse.

Initially, it occurs only under physical and psychological stress. Later, however, shortness of breath can also occur in resting conditions. Even later, oxygen ventilation is often necessary, so that the patient needs an oxygen device at home.

Initially, the device will often only be necessary at night, while later it will also be needed during the day. An asthma attack is also accompanied by breathing difficulties, as the bronchial tubes become narrow during the attack and are also constricted by the mucus. In contrast to COPD, however, unrestricted breathing is possible again after the end of the attack.

A respiratory tract infection, which is accompanied by a strong production of mucus, can also cause breathing difficulties. This is particularly the case in small children when the secretion accumulates. A bloody cough or bloody mucus occurs relatively rarely.

Sometimes bloody mucus can occur with very severe bronchitis. It is usually accompanied by a severe cough, which can cause small bleedings of the mucous membrane due to the jerkiness of the reflex. This is something completely harmless. In smokers, on the other hand, bloody mucus can indicate lung cancer and, if it occurs regularly, should be clarified by a doctor in any case. Patients taking a blood thinner such as Marcumar can also often have a slightly bloody cough.