Dark mucus that looks brown or orange may cause you to panic, but one likely cause of it is simple: dried blood. It could also be a result of you inhaling something brown, such as dirt or cigarette smoke.
While brown mucus is sometimes caused by dried blood or dirt in the nasal passage, it can also be an indicator of bronchitis, which happens when the tubes that carry air to your lungs become inflamed. If you cough up brown mucus or phlegm, contact your physician immediately.
Cloudy or white mucus is a sign of a cold. Yellow or green mucus is a sign of a bacterial infection. Brown or orange mucus is sign of dried red blood cells and inflammation (aka a dry nose).
Yellow, green or brown mucus is a sign of infection in the upper respiratory tract. It is difficult to distinguish between bacterial and viral infection by seeing the color of the mucus, but the physician might look for other signs to determine bacterial infection and prescribe antibiotics.
“Normally, mucus is clear. When you have a cold or infection, it might turn green or yellow,” said Alyssa. Clear snot usually signals allergies or some kind of environmental factor that is triggering your nose to start running, such as inhaling dust or allergens. Clear snot is nothing to worry about.
If you are coughing green or yellow mucus, let your GP or health care provider know. If you are coughing up blood (or blood stained mucus), call your GP, the COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line or Healthdirect for further advice.
Green and cloudy: viral or bacterial infection
A lot of the symptoms of viral infections – fever, cough, headache, loss of smell – overlap for COVID-19 and other viral infections like the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold.
If your mucus turns brown, yellow, or green, it can be an early warning sign of a flare-up. It'll be stickier and thicker, and there'll be more of it. Treatments for COPD include medications, pulmonary rehab, supplemental oxygen, and surgery to open up blocked pathways. In severe cases, you may need a lung transplant.
If you have 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 require antibiotics.
Anyone with pink, red, brown, black, or frothy mucus should contact their doctor or go to the local emergency room for an evaluation.
It could be facial pain, pressure, congestion or difficulty breathing, or a change to your sense of smell, and feeling unwell.” However, you can't really tell based on snot color alone whether an infection is viral or bacterial. “It's more by how long you've felt sick and what your symptoms are,” Dr. Sindwani says.
Greenish or yellowish-colored snot signifies the presence of enzymes from white blood cells, meaning that your immune system is battling an infection. If you notice this color, you should make sure to hydrate and get enough rest to allow your body to recover.
Don't try to pick boogers out of your nose
Boogers can carry bacteria and viruses, which then get spread from your hands to whatever you touch. It also works the other way — germs on your hands can spread to your nose.
Coughing up black or brown mucus can occur when from environmental conditions like pollution or smoking. Other causes of brown phlegm include small amounts of blood located in the throat or further down in the airway.
Mucus is usually clear, gray, or white. Green or yellow mucus may be a sign of an infection. Brown mucus can affect people who smoke and those with black lung disease, which results from exposure to coal dust. Mucus that contains blood may be pink or red.
Sinusitis is swelling of the sinuses, usually caused by an infection. It's common and usually clears up on its own within 2 to 3 weeks. But medicines can help if it's taking a long time to go away.
Bronchitis is an infection of the main airways of the lungs (bronchi), causing them to become irritated and inflamed. The main symptom is a cough, which may bring up yellow-grey mucus (phlegm).
Facial pain and tenderness are frequently seen in sinus infections. Mucus: The mucus produced when you have a cold is typically thin and clear. Sinus infection produces thicker, yellowish, or green discharges. Bacterial sinus infections cause your nose to produce a pus-like discharge.
If you have a runny nose, stuffy nose and facial pain that don't go away after ten days, you might have bacterial sinusitis. Your symptoms may seem to improve but then return and are worse than the initial symptoms. Antibiotics and decongestants usually work well on bacterial sinusitis.
An “acute” sinus infection lasts anywhere from ten days up to eight weeks. A “chronic” infection lasts even longer. It is ongoing — it may seem like it's improving, and then it comes right back as bad as it was at first. Chronic sinus infections may drag on for months at a time.
When the nose becomes irritated, it may produce more mucus, which becomes thick and pale yellow. The mucus may begin to flow from the front of the nose as well as the back. Substances in the mucus may irritate the back of the throat and cause coughing.
People with moderate or severe COVID-19 should isolate through at least day 10. Those with severe COVID-19 may remain infectious beyond 10 days and may need to extend isolation for up to 20 days.
People with COVID-19 and other respiratory infections may experience a cough with mucus as a symptom of their illness. Phlegm is mucus produced within the respiratory tract. Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or home remedies or prescription medication to make you more comfortable and help you clear your lungs.