Will A Viral Infection Cause Colored Phlegm

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Snot, mucus, sputum, phlegm – information technology goes by many names only does that ofttimes colorful fluid that oozes from your body actually have a purpose?

By definition, phlegm is a byproduct of inflammation in the sinuses and the lungs. Your body is responding to some sort of irritant and is creating the phlegm to combat the consequence. It can be related to a bacterial infection similar bronchitis, sinusitis or pneumonia. It could be a viral infection like your regular, run of the mill upper respiratory infection. It can be produced by people who take chronic lung affliction similar COPD, cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis. It's a part of environmental allergies and asthma as well.

Just because you have a productive phlegmy cough or a runny nose, it doesn't actually give you a specific diagnosis just information technology is a clue to identifying the health issue that ails you.

The Phlegm Color Spectrum

Yellow/Dark-green Phlegm

Yellowish, light-green phlegm is likely related to an infection. The type of infection isn't actually able to be discerned by the color itself.

The first step would be to talk to your primary care provider. They'll ask questions such as how long have y'all been sick, is at that place someone sick in your home or at work, have y'all had a fever, chills, muscle aches or pain. These questions will assist your doctor make up one's mind if you need antibiotics or if it's something they can watch for a little longer and see if you lot tin can get in through without antibiotics.

Pink, Red or Bloody Phlegm

If y'all're cough up cherry-red, pink or bloody phlegm, you should be seen past your provider. Information technology could be related to an infection or to cancer in some cases. If yous're a smoker and you lot're coughing up blood, information technology is worrisome. Your doctor may take a more than in depth health history and gild a breast ten-ray earlier making a diagnosis.

White Phlegm

Allergies, asthma and often viral infections cause white phlegm or phlegm without a lot of color to information technology. It really depends. If information technology's associated with underlying inflammatory conditions like asthma or COPD, it might indicate your underlying issue isn't as controlled as information technology needs to be and your chronic disease management may need to exist augmented. If it's related to a viral upper respiratory tract infection, y'all can probably wait information technology out. If information technology is allergies, you may need to have a more ambitious allergy regimen, take an antihistamine, a nasal steroid or see an allergy specialist.

Charcoal or Gray Phlegm

We tend to see charcoal or sooty looking phlegm in people who work in coal mines and factories or are really heavy smokers.

If yous piece of work in a factory where at that place'southward a ton of smoke and don't vesture a mask, you're inhaling all that in and information technology's causing an inflammatory reaction in your airways that produces phlegm. The irritants are mixed in with the phlegm and when you cough, it comes out.

Aforementioned thing with cigarette smoking – sometimes nosotros see patients who are smoking ii to three packs a solar day who have a productive cough. A lot of times they'll take a little scrap of gray or smoky tinge to their phlegm considering of the smoking.

If you have symptoms of an infection, we'll give y'all both antibiotics and some steroids in sure cases to get the inflammation down. If it's simply related to occupational exposure similar you lot work in a smoky environment or construction and aren't existence diligent about wearing masks, we'll tell you to be more careful with practicing occupational safe past wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.

Dark-brown Phlegm

Sometimes people who take really significant chronic lung disease can cough up a brownish or actually tenacious looking phlegm that'southward a niggling more rare than the traditional colors. Really nighttime brown, tenacious phlegm is seen in patients who take cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis, which is a chronic lung disease. The phlegm is brown because of blood and the intense chronic inflammation that comes with the chronic disease state. The leaner camp out inside the lungs and cause very gradual changes in the consistency and advent of phlegm.

If you lot accept chronic lung disease, you may be used to seeing brown phlegm. In those situations we call an acute exacerbation of your underlying cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis, you may crave antibiotics. If you have really resistant leaner growing in your lungs, y'all may need to have IV antibiotics or an aggressive regimen to keep things nether control.

How Long Will the Phlegm Concluding?

The duration of the phlegm in your system depends on the crusade.

For bacterial infections, even without antibiotics, it can be self-limiting and will become away in x to fourteen days.
Viral infections can last a piddling longer, and then sometimes up to three weeks depending on the season.
Inflammatory conditions like asthma and COPD typically don't necessarily get better unless the disease is treated more aggressively.

Think, your body is doing its job when phlegm is being produced. It shows that it's addressing some sort of set on, exist information technology an infection or an allergy or an irritant that'southward in your lungs or your sinuses – that'due south how your torso fights those assaults.

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Dr. Jonathan Parsons is the associate director of clinical services and director of the asthma middle in the Division of Pulmonary, Disquisitional Intendance and Sleep Medicine at The Ohio Land Academy Wexner Medical Middle.