Coughing that Sounds Phlegmy Having a deep, phlegmy cough is common in people with sinus infections. You might also be coughing up mucus, which is known as a “productive” cough.
COVID-19 produces a dry cough without mucus, while a sinus infection produces a wet cough with mucus. COVID-19 and a sinus infection can both cause shortness of breath, though, with a sinus infection, this symptom is usually only present in severe cases.
Postnasal Drip – Sounding like either a dry or wet cough, this type of cough is caused by mucus dripping down your throat, often due to a cold or allergies. You may have a postnasal drip type of cough if it worsens at night, with a tickly feeling at the back of your throat.
Cough. A cough may also be a symptom of a sinus infection. As mucus drips down into your throat, it can trigger a cough. Coughing up phlegm should be a sign that this condition is more than a common cold.
Intranasal steroid sprays and antihistamine nasal sprays can reduce cough and runny nose, but can also have side effects or make you drowsy.
See a doctor if you have: Severe symptoms, such as severe headache or facial pain. Symptoms that get worse after improving. Symptoms lasting more than 10 days without getting better.
Typically, antibiotics are needed when: Sinus infection symptoms last over a week. Symptoms worsen after starting to get better. Sinusitis symptoms are severe (high fever, skin infection or rash, extreme pain or tenderness around the eyes or nose)
Having a deep, phlegmy cough is common in people with sinus infections. You might also be coughing up mucus, which is known as a “productive” cough.
In certain patients, however, the infection can result in lower respiratory symptoms such as cough and chest congestion, eventually turning into bronchitis, sometimes even pneumonia. This typically occurs from infected post nasal drainage entering the lungs.
In the case of sinusitis, mucus often drains down the back of the throat leading to the dreaded symptom of post-nasal drip which can also make your throat sore and cause a persistent cough. If you develop bronchitis, mucus collects in swollen bronchial tubes which makes you cough -- a lot.
If you have a cough that produces mucus, the mucus can be clear and watery or thick with a green, yellow, or white color. Postnasal drip can also create the sensation of a “tickle” or itch in the throat that won't go away. In people with asthma, postnasal drip can make it difficult to breathe.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
What does a pneumonia cough sound like? This will depend on the type of pneumonia you have and be either a dry or chesty cough. Bacterial pneumonia is more serious and often results in a gurgling sound when breathing and mucus or phlegm when coughing.
In fact, a sinus infection, also known as sinusitis, occurs when a cold infects the hollow bones under your eyes and in your cheeks and forehead, otherwise known as your sinuses. Bronchitis occurs when a cold migrates to your chest, causing swelling and irritation in the bronchial tubes that carry air into your lungs.
Cough: Whether you experience just a dry tickle or a persistent and annoying cough, it is caused by the throat irritation that results from sinus passages that drip along the back of your throat.
Walking pneumonia can still be miserable and is commonly accompanied by a cough, fever, chest pain, mild chills, headache, etc. It feels more akin to a bad cold, and despite what the term "walking" implies, taking care of yourself is the best path to recovery.
The Life Altering Complications of Untreated Chronic Sinus Infections. Sinusitis is a byproduct of ongoing inflammation. Chronic inflammation is dangerous. It gradually destroys healthy tissues and organs and can cause serious infections of the brain, eyes and lungs.
Bronchitis is contagious when the cause is bacterial or viral. Infected saliva, respiratory droplets from a cough or sneeze, and contaminated surfaces can pass on an acute case. Chronic bronchitis, however, is usually not contagious since it is caused by long-term irritation to the lungs (e.g., from smoking).
If you have a sinus infection, you will have coughing fits at night when you are trying to sleep.
If this is the case, a sinus infection left untreated may cause further complications (as chronic sinusitis can actually spread to the eyes and the brain). When sinusitis spreads to areas around the eyes, you may experience redness and swelling, which can reduce vision.
You doctor may recommend antibiotics if: You have symptoms of a bacterial infection and you have not gotten better after 10 days, even with home treatment.
Post-nasal drip, also known as upper airway cough syndrome, can lead to a lingering cough. It occurs when mucus builds up in the back of the nose and drips down into the throat. Allergies or sinusitis, which is inflammation or an infection in the sinus, can cause post-nasal drip.