White or yellow? You can tell the disease by the color of the mucus

As long as you won’t catch a cold or you won’t catch a disease, you probably don’t even know that you have mucus in your body. Your organism produces it completely naturally and it is inconspicuous: it is like gelatin, a sticky substance whose function is to lubricate and filter. It keeps the airways moist to function properly and traps viruses, bacteria, dirt and dust that you inhale. When and why does its structure and color change?

The mouth, nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, digestive tract, urinary tract and conjunctiva are lined by a tissue called mucous membrane. It defends itself from external influences by producing mucus – a clear, thin, odorless liquid that prevents the mucous membrane from drying out and covers it like a protective blanket.

Under certain circumstances, however, its nature changes. The first example is a situation where bacteria or a virus attacks the organism and the mucus thickens. “The denser it is, the less it lets through and the fewer potential invaders can get into your bacteriologically balanced internal environment,” explains Professor Hana Matějovská Kubešová, head of the internal clinic, geriatrics and general medicine in Brno. Mucus therefore protects the body from danger coming from the outside.

However, the body does not produce mucus only in case of illness. Even with full health, a liter to a liter and a half of this fluid is produced daily. Most of it flows down the neck into the body and you don’t even notice it. You usually notice its presence only when it changes consistency: it becomes thicker and stickier, which is a signal that the organism is fighting an enemy. In short, when the body comes into contact with something that irritates it, it automatically starts producing more thick mucus. This is also the case for reactions to various allergens, even in foods such as milk or hot foods such as chili peppers.

Have you noticed that the mucus has changed not only in consistency, but also in color? It is not clear or grayish, but takes on yellow, green, or even reddish to brownish tones?

A type of white blood cells called neutrophils is responsible for the yellow and green color, which the body sends to the affected areas in the event of a bacterial threat to thicken the mucus and make it impermeable. These contain a greenish-colored enzyme that turns the mucus yellow-green. In the case of a viral infection, as opposed to a bacterial one, the coloring may not appear at all! So you can have perfectly clean mucus, and still struggle with ear, sinus, or even covid infections.

“Thus, the color of the mucus can provide an orientation aid, whether the current infection is rather of bacterial origin and antibiotics should be considered, or whether it is of viral origin, and therefore antibiotics are unnecessary in most cases and it is necessary to focus on the overall support of the organism with a rest regime, enough liquids and the intake of a varied diet rich in vitamins,” explains Hana Matějovská Kubešová.

Red and brownish color reveals the presence of blood in the mucus. “This can come from dry nasal mucosa irritated by blowing and wiping the nose full of tiny blood vessels,” explains pulmonologist MUDr. Jan Faktor. According to him, you do not need to worry about a small amount of blood, but if it is more and appears more often, you should see a doctor. “Because the presence of blood in the mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract can also be the first warning sign lung tumor,” warns Dr. Hana Matějovská Kubešová.

In any case, if you have thick greenish mucus and you also feel flu symptoms, it is most likely a bacterial disease.