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Phlegm (/ ˈ f l ɛ m /; Ancient Greek: φλέγμα, phlégma, "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") 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.
This explains why coughing often occurs in those who smoke cigarettes. The body's natural reaction is to increase mucus production. In addition, mucus aids in moisturizing the inhaled air and prevents tissues such as the nasal and airway epithelia from drying out. [11] Mucus is produced continuously in the respiratory tract. Mucociliary action ...
Sputum is mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways (the trachea and bronchi).In medicine, sputum samples are usually used for a naked eye examination, microbiological investigation of respiratory infections and cytological investigations of respiratory systems.
In contrast, expectorants lubricate your airway, which helps loosen up the mucus and make the secretions in your airway thinner. By loosening up the mucus, expectorants make your cough more ...
The type of cough you have is a clue to what's causing it: A wet cough (the type that brings up phlegm or mucus) is often a sign of a lower respiratory infection.
You’re coughing up less mucus. Irritation of the back of your throat and voice changes improve. You no longer have a fever, if you had one at all. You’re breathing more comfortably.
Mucus helps to moisten and protect the airways. [7] Mucus lines the ciliated cells of the trachea to trap inhaled foreign particles that the cilia then waft upward toward the larynx and then the pharynx where it can be either swallowed into the stomach or expelled as phlegm. This self-clearing mechanism is termed mucociliary clearance. [8]
Long-term irritation of the epithelial cells can cause the overproduction of mucus, known as mucus hypersecretion. Mucus hypersecretion results in the productive cough of chronic bronchitis. [18] Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells have been associated with a range of chronic lung disorders. They are also the originating cells of small-cell lung ...