Is it good for your health to swallow the phlegm?

Expert of this article: Wang Qian, attending physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hebei Provincial Chest Hospital

This article was reviewed by Tao Ning, PhD, Associate Professor at a National Institute

Coughing up phlegm is common in our daily life:

If you have a cold and a fever, you will cough up phlegm;

When the haze in the air is very serious, the cases of coughing and sputum will increase;

Even when you are healthy, you may cough up phlegm for no reason.

Most of the time, when we are in public places, we may not be able to save face or carry tissues. So how should we deal with the phlegm in our throat?

Yes, you guessed it right!

How many people choose to swallow it back silently?

Does swallowed phlegm cause harm to the body? What kind of phlegm may indicate that the body is unhealthy? Let's learn about it today.

Why do people cough up phlegm?

Phlegm is the physiological or pathological secretion in our respiratory tract.

Under normal circumstances, the airway mucosa produces 50-100 ml of secretions every day to keep the airway mucosa moist; when the respiratory tract is infected with bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms, the airway mucus secretions are excessive and sputum is formed.

Coughing up phlegm is a protective mechanism for the human body. Phlegm can adhere to harmful substances in the airway, the bodies of pathogenic microorganisms, etc., and coughing can cough these harmful substances out of the body and reduce the occurrence of lung infections.

Therefore, if it is normal to cough up phlegm, wrap up the phlegm and throw it into the trash can. This will not only protect the person who is coughing and expectorating, but also will not harm others.

Is it good for your health to swallow the phlegm?

Many times, we can't spit out phlegm just because we want to:

When the body is very weak, the respiratory muscles are weak and sputum is difficult to cough up;

When the lung infection is very serious, bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms in the lungs cause a lot of sputum to be produced, and the sputum is very thick and difficult to cough up;

When a tumor grows in the airway and blocks it, phlegm becomes difficult to cough up;

…

So, what effects will it have on the body if you swallow the phlegm in these situations?

The main component of sputum is the bodies of dead white blood cells that have phagocytosed pathogenic microorganisms. There are very few surviving pathogens. After being swallowed, they enter the stomach and are basically killed by the strong corrosion of gastric acid. They are actually not very harmful to the human body.

However, if the infecting pathogen is very strong and can withstand the corrosion of acidic gastric juice, then when the sputum is swallowed, the pathogen will spread from the respiratory tract to the digestive tract, causing serious gastrointestinal infection, which is very harmful to the body.

For example, patients with pulmonary tuberculosis produce a lot of sputum, which contains a large number of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis. If the patient swallows the sputum, because Mycobacterium tuberculosis has strong vitality and can withstand the corrosion of gastric acid to a certain extent, the swallowed sputum will pass through the stomach into the intestines and cause intestinal tuberculosis.

In addition, if patients with pulmonary tuberculosis cough and expectorate in daily life without paying attention to avoiding people around them, they will transmit tuberculosis to people around them through the droplets when coughing.

Therefore, everyone is encouraged to spit out phlegm, but they should not spit anywhere. They should be careful to avoid people around them and wrap up the phlegm and throw it into the trash can.

What kind of sputum is worth paying attention to?

Respiratory doctors can generally give a preliminary indication of the type of disease based on the nature, color, and amount of sputum. For example:

(1) White mucus sputum

Patients in the early stages of a cold will have white sticky phlegm; people who smoke frequently will have white sticky phlegm when they wake up in the morning; patients with chronic trachea and bronchitis will have white sticky phlegm all year round.

White sticky sputum indicates that the infection is not serious. Drink more water and cough up the sputum. After the cold is cured, the sputum will decrease. People who smoke frequently need to quit smoking. White sticky sputum in patients with chronic bronchitis is basically a year-round state of the body. You can use expectorants appropriately to promote the elimination of sputum, but you need to be alert to the appearance of yellow purulent sputum.

(2) Yellow purulent sputum

When pneumonia, lung abscess, or bronchiectasis is secondary to bacterial infection, coughing up yellow purulent sputum may occur. Compared with white sticky sputum, yellow purulent sputum indicates more severe inflammation and requires prompt medical treatment.

(3) Yellow-green purulent sputum

Sputum of this color is a specific manifestation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, which is common in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection secondary to bronchiectasis and requires early hospital treatment.

(4) Bloody sputum

Patients with cavitary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis may have blood in their sputum. When the condition is serious, they may cough up a mouthful of blood, or even have blood gushing out of the mouth. This is a very dangerous situation and requires emergency medical treatment.

Patients with left heart failure and pulmonary edema may cough up pink frothy sputum, which is also a sign of serious illness and requires emergency medical treatment.

Coughing is a very common behavior

It's best to spit out the phlegm.

Also avoid coughing directly at people around you.

Wrap the coughed sputum in a tissue and throw it into the trash

Can reduce infection

At the same time, pay attention to the characteristics and color of the sputum you cough up.

If you find any abnormality, go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible

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