Cough With Green Phlegm: What Does It Mean?
What happens when you cough up green phlegm? Is it always an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics? This body fluid is secreted by the mucosa of the respiratory system in mammals and, according to bibliographic sources, its function is to maintain the humidity of the respiratory tract.
In addition, phlegm traps and facilitates the expulsion of foreign agents to the outside of the body. Because lysozymes (antibacterial substances) and antibodies are also found in it, we can say that it has antimicrobial properties.
Strange as it may be, the color of the phlegm reveals, in many cases, the nature of the patient’s pathology. This time we are going to tell you what a cough with green phlegm means, especially, and how to control it.
About phlegm and its colors
As unpleasant as it may seem, understanding where the staining of phlegm comes from and why this color change occurs is essential to detect various diseases. Medical organizations collect the meaning of this variation:
- Green or yellow: indicative of bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, and sinusitis.
- Brown: bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, lung abscess (pus-filled cavity in the lung), pneumonia and pneumoconiosis (lung infiltration of mineral substances).
- White: indicates bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Black: fungal infection (fungus in the respiratory tract), lung abscess, pneumoconiosis, and tobacco use.
- Red: pathologies that involve internal bleeding of the respiratory tract, such as those already described, abscesses, tuberculosis or lung cancer.
As we have seen, the coloration of the phlegm is representative of what the immune system is trying to expel from the body. A cough accompanied by brown phlegm may mean, for example, that the patient has been inhaling dirt or mineral compounds for a long period, or that there is dried blood in some portion of his respiratory tract.
On the other hand, a red coloration predicts a worrying pathology in some cases, as it can represent bleeding in some part of the body in contact with the nasal cavity and the mouth. Now, what does a cough with green phlegm mean? Next, we give you the answer.
Cough with green phlegm: what does it mean?
As we have anticipated, the presence of green phlegm in the cough indicates that the body is fighting an infection. As paradoxical as it may be, this greenish coloration is due to the high number of dead white blood cells and other substances derived from the battle against the pathogen. The most common infections that lead to these sputum are the following.
Acute bronchitis
According to the literature, acute bronchitis is the most common cause of diagnosis in people with a cough who attend outpatient clinics. In this case, we are facing an infection of viral origin, since rhinoviruses (which cause the common cold) are the cause in 90% of cases.
Although it is not so common, we also have to point out that some bronchitis is caused by bacteria. According to the aforementioned source, 32% of patients with a cough for more than two weeks are infected with the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Some added symptoms are as follows:
- Chest discomfort.
- Fatigue.
- Fever.
- Shortness of breath and wheezing.
Cystic fibrosis
We are facing a much more aggressive and serious pathology than the one previously exposed, as it is associated with a certain risk of mortality (up to 1.33 per million inhabitants, according to studies). The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) reports that this disease is inherited and is characterized by a malfunction of the exocrine glands.
In a normal situation, the glands produce mucus, saliva, and other fluids that help the body function normally. In cystic fibrosis patients, this mucus is too thick, plugging the lungs and intestines. Coughing with persistent green phlegm tries to get rid of this very thick and dysfunctional mucus.
Other essential data on this disease show that:
- It is not a contagious disease.
- To this day, there is no cure.
- It occurs in one out of every 3,200 newborns.
Pneumonia
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia is the cause of 15% of all deaths in children under five years of age. It is a pathology that responds to an infection, whether of viruses, bacteria or fungi. Again, coughs with greenish phlegm are indicative of the immune fight against these microorganisms.
Some of the pathogens that cause it are the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, the pathogenic fungus Pneumocystis jiroveci and the respiratory syncytial virus. It causes a filling of the pulmonary alveoli of the patient with fluids and pus, which makes breathing painful and limits the absorption of oxygen.
Sinusitis
A cough with greenish phlegm is typical of bacterial sinusitis. According to statistical studies carried out in the United States, this pathology affects around 31 million patients per year.
In this case, pathogenic bacteria settle in the sinuses, causing a stuffy nose, expulsion of phlegm, and pain or pressure in the areas around the nose and eyes.
How to deal with a cough with green phlegm?
As we have seen, a cough with green phlegm is indicative of an immune response to an infection or hereditary disease, such as cystic fibrosis. There can be many natural remedies that relieve throat irritation, but depending on the severity of the pathology, medical treatments may be necessary.
In many cases, airway therapies are not essential, since they are self-solving, that is, the patient’s immune system copes with the invasion. The body is free of symptoms in about a week.
In other cases, it may be necessary to use antibiotics, inhalers to open narrowed airways in the lungs, and even surgery. The decision will be up to the professional who treats the disorder.
