When mucus starts to build up or trickle down the back of the throat, this is known as postnasal drip. Causes of postnasal drip include infections, allergies, and acid reflux. As well as feeling the need to clear the throat frequently, a person with postnasal drip may also experience: a sore throat.
If the mucus is accumulating in the back of your throat and dripping down it then this can also trigger the sensation of a lump or bump. A nasal spray may be a simple way to fix a lump in the throat caused by a postnasal drip.
In many cases, globus sensation can improve or go away on its own without treatment. If you've been diagnosed with another health condition associated with globus sensation (such as GERD), treating that condition will often help the lump in your throat.
Drinking enough liquids, especially warm ones can help with mucus flow. Water and other liquids can loosen your congestion by helping your mucus move. Try sipping liquids, like juice, clear broths, and soup. Other good liquid choices include decaffeinated tea, warm fruit juice, and lemon water.
Most causes of coughing up phlegm are not serious. However, more severe conditions, such as COPD or heart failure, require lifelong treatment. Coughing up phlegm is typically not a cause for concern. For example, GERD and the common cold are responsible for many cases of coughing up phlegm.
Globus is the medical term for the feeling of something stuck in the throat. The term globus comes from the last route for globe or sphere. Hence, it is used to describe a feeling of a large lump or “ball” of mucus in the throat. This symptom is often described in multiple ways. Feeling of ball of mucus in throat.
Illness or infection are not the only things that can cause phlegm to become thicker. Being dehydrated or even sleeping can cause the phlegm to move slower and become thicker than usual.
When you cough up thick, solid white mucus, it might be a signal that you have a bacterial infection in your airways. This type of an infection could require prescription antibiotics from your doctor.
Coughing up phlegm when you don't have a cold could be due to a number of different conditions: a sinus infection, allergies with postnasal drip, pneumonia, smoking, asthma, heartburn, or even some medicines like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for high blood pressure.
How to Clear Phlegm. If you're suffering from allergies, asthma or another condition that is causing excess mucus production, it's important to seek medical treatment. However, in cases where phlegm results from a viral infection, such as the common cold, it will usually resolve on its own within seven to 10 days.
Infections. Bacterial and viral infections such as influenza, bronchitis, and pneumonia can cause your airways to produce extra mucus. The mucus may be green or yellow in color. Coughing up or blowing red mucus out of your nose is a sign that blood has been mixed in.
On its own, mucus isn't a worrisome symptom. If it comes with a cough that doesn't go away after several weeks, it's greenish yellow or blood-tinged, or you also have fever or shortness of breath, you should call your doctor.
Post-nasal drip, or drainage of excess mucus down your throat, isn't just uncomfortable — left untreated, it can lead to more serious issues, including a sore throat, chronic cough, or nausea.
In addition to lab tests, sputum or mucus from a cough can be visually examined to determine whether bronchitis is viral, bacterial, or both. Clear or white mucus often indicates a viral infection, while yellow or green mucus may suggest a bacterial infection.
Mucus and phlegm are similar, yet different: Mucus is a thinner secretion from your nose and sinuses. Phlegm is thicker and is made by your throat and lungs.
“Coughing is good,” Dr. Boucher says. “When you cough up mucus when you are sick, you are essentially clearing the bad guys—viruses or bacteria—from your body.”
Also called upper airway cough syndrome, postnasal drip is a common cause of a persistent cough. When a virus, allergies, dust, chemicals, or inflammation irritate your nasal membranes, they make runny mucus that drips out of your nose and down your throat.
More than just an unpleasant nuisance, mucus that collects in your airways can make breathing more difficult and increase your risk of infection, which can further damage your lungs. Living with a chronic lung disease means you are likely experiencing an excess of this thick and sticky fluid in your lungs.
What is a heart cough? In heart failure, your heart muscle has dysfunction that might be due to weak contraction or stiffness. This can allow fluid to back up in yout lungs, creating a condition called pulmonary edema. Your body coughs persistently in an effort to eliminate the excess fluid.
They can be long- or short-term. Conditions that can contribute to excess mucus include allergies, asthma, and bronchitis. Smoking and conditions like COPD and cystic fibrosis can also cause this symptom. Your doctor may order a sputum test to find the cause of your excess mucus.
Don't suppress a productive cough too much, unless it is keeping you from getting enough rest. Coughing is useful, because it brings up mucus from the lungs and helps to prevent bacterial infections.
White/Clear: This is the normal colour of phlegm. phlegm may be brownish in colour. have an active chest infection. This means that a visit to your GP would be advisable as antibiotics and/or steroids may be needed.