Some people really can't cough up phlegm! Do you know how harmful it is to swallow it?

Cough cough cough, heh~TUI!

Wait, don’t be so disgusted!

Do you know? In the eyes of ordinary people, spitting in one go is very common, but many people can't do it!!!

Including Rose in "Titanic", she was seduced by Jack's superb "sweet mouth" skills!

But whether you spit or not, in most cases, the phlegm is actually swallowed into the stomach.

Does swallowing phlegm harm the body? What health signals might phlegm convey? Let's talk about it today~

Why do people have phlegm?

Phlegm, like snot, is a kind of mucus secreted by the human body to protect our body: without phlegm, the respiratory tract will become dry and diseased, and without snot, our nose will also get sick.

Under normal circumstances, the respiratory mucosa produces 50 to 100 ml of mucus every day to keep the airway mucosa moist.

However, when the respiratory tract is infected by microorganisms such as dust, bacteria, viruses, and fungi, excessive mucus secretion will occur, forming phlegm.

Sputum can adhere to dust, harmful substances, dead bodies of pathogenic microorganisms, etc. in the airways, and cough these harmful substances out of the body to reduce the occurrence of lung infections.

Therefore, coughing up phlegm is a protective mechanism for the human body.

Will it be okay if I swallow it?

The sputum of a healthy person is nothing more than water, protein, lipids, salt, dust, etc., and there is no problem if you swallow it.

When the respiratory tract is irritated, the sputum coughed up will contain the corpses of the immune system fighting microorganisms, and may also carry some bacteria or viruses, so it is best to spit it out.

But what about those who can’t cough up phlegm at all?

In fact, it’s okay to swallow it, because bacteria and viruses will be killed by stomach acid when they enter the stomach, so there is no need to worry about any harm.

However, people with tuberculosis should not swallow it, because tuberculosis bacteria are very tenacious and the strong stomach acid may not be able to kill them all, which may cause gastrointestinal tuberculosis.

More importantly, tuberculosis patients should not cough phlegm anywhere, as this can easily spread tuberculosis to people around them through droplets. Instead, they should wrap the phlegm in paper and throw it away, or cough it into a sealed bottle, soak it in 75% alcohol, and then pour it out.

Be careful with this kind of sputum!

The nature, color and amount of sputum may contain information about disease. When the following situations occur, you should pay attention:

White mucus sputum: usually appears in the early stages of a cold, in patients with chronic trachea/bronchitis, or in the morning when people who smoke frequently wake up.

Under normal circumstances, cold patients are not seriously infected, drink more water, cough up phlegm, and the phlegm will be reduced after the illness is cured;

White sticky sputum is basically a permanent condition for patients with chronic bronchitis. Expectorants can be used appropriately to promote the elimination of sputum, and one should be alert to the appearance of yellow purulent sputum. Long-term smokers should best quit smoking.

Yellow purulent sputum: This indicates that the inflammation has become more serious, and pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchiectasis and secondary bacterial infection have occurred. You need to go to a regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time.

Yellow-green purulent sputum: This is a specific manifestation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, which is common in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection secondary to bronchiectasis and also requires early diagnosis and treatment.

Bloody sputum: Patients with cavitary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis may have blood in their sputum. When the condition is serious, they may cough up blood or even have blood gushing out of their mouths. 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 serious condition and requires emergency medical attention.

Finally, from a health perspective, I advise everyone to cough up the phlegm.

But you must! You must! You must! Pay attention to the etiquette of coughing:

Avoid coughing directly at others

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

So as not to infect innocent passers-by.

Source: Youlai Healthy Life