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Chest congestion is usually caused by excess mucus in the airways, says Meilan King Han, M.D., M.S., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the ...
The excess mucus accumulates in the back of the nose, and eventually in the throat once it drips down the back of the throat. It can be caused by rhinitis , sinusitis , gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or by a disorder of swallowing (such as an esophageal motility disorder ).
Bronchoconstriction is defined as the narrowing of the airways in the lungs (bronchi and bronchioles). Air flow in air passages can get restricted in three ways: [3] a spasmodic state of the smooth muscles in bronchi and bronchioles; an inflammation in the middle layers of the bronchi and bronchioles; excessive production of mucus.
Pulmonary edema (British English: oedema), also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive fluid accumulation in the tissue or air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. [1] This leads to impaired gas exchange , most often leading to shortness of breath ( dyspnea ) which can progress to hypoxemia and respiratory failure .
Mucins thicken mucus, and their concentration has been found to be high in cases of chronic bronchitis, and also to correlate with the severity of the disease. [39] Excess mucus can narrow the airways, thereby limiting airflow and accelerating the decline in lung function, and result in COPD.
Phlegm is more related to disease than mucus, and can be troublesome for the individual to excrete from the body. Phlegm is a thick secretion in the airway during disease and inflammation. Phlegm usually contains mucus with virus, bacteria, other debris, and sloughed-off inflammatory cells.
Upper airway cough syndrome is the most common cause of chronic coughing. It is diagnosed when the secretion of excess mucus from the nose or sinus drains into the pharynx or the back of the throat, causing an induced cough. [17] Asthma is a main way to produce the chronic cough.
Rhinorrhea is characterized by an excess amount of mucus produced by the mucous membranes that line the nasal cavities. The membranes create mucus faster than it can be processed, causing a backup of mucus in the nasal cavities. As the cavity fills up, it blocks off the air passageway, causing difficulty breathing through the nose.