Question

What is the difference between sputum and mucus?

Answer 1

The difference between sputum and mucus is in where the sputum and mucus is made in the body.

Sputum is made in the lungs and airways while mucus can also be made in places such as the urinary and genital tract of the body while sputum cannot.

Sputum may be referred to as phlegm or mucus.

All terms are correct, but sputum and phlegm only refer to the mucus made in the respiratory system (lungs and airways).

Sputum (phlegm) is a type of mucus. Mucus can also be made elsewhere in the body, such as the urinary or genital tract.

Hospitals remove mucus from lungs through gravity, medicines and chest percussion.

Gravity pulls mucus from small to large airways where it can be coughed up.

With chest percussion the chest is clapped and vibrated to dislodge and move mucus.

This is done in varied positions to drain all lung parts.

CAM therapies that can help clear mucus include: Warm fluids: Drinking warm (not hot) liquids can help loosen thickened mucus.

Options include tea, warm broth, or hot water with lemon. Steam: You can use a device such as a cool-mist humidifier or steam vaporizer to breathe in warm air.

Drinking some hot tea, using a humidifier and taking some mucus medicine which helps you cough up the mucus are good ways to get rid of mucus from your lungs.

In severe cases a hospital can also remove mucus from your lungs.

The fastest way to get mucus out of your lungs is to use some mucus medicine that helps you get the mucus produced more and then it gets the mucus out of your lungs.

You'll begin coughing up mucus more and then eventually the mucus will be all gone sooner than it would if you hadn't taken the mucus medicine.

Also keep the air moist using a vaporizer or humidifier as the moist air will help loosen the mucus which makes it easier for you to cough up the mucus that is being produced in your lungs.

Elevate your head when you sleep and when you need to cough up mucus or phlegm make sure to spit it out and when you feel like mucus is in your throat try coughing it up and get it out.

Drink plenty of warm liquids and water to help loosen the mucus as well which can help you get the mucus out of your throat.

You'll usually continue coughing up mucus for 4 to 7 days especially if you've had the flu or cold virus.

Answer 2

The term mucus may sometimes be used instead of sputum, but sputum refers to that mucus specifically secreted in the respiratory tract, whereas mucus may also be produced in the gastrointestinal tract, urological tract, and genital tract.

Phlegm is a type of mucus made in your chest.

You typically don't produce noticeable amounts of phlegm unless you are sick with a cold or have some other underlying medical issue. When you cough up phlegm, it's called sputum.

You may notice different colored sputum and wonder what the colors mean.

Yellow phlegm is a sign that your body is fighting off a mild infection.

"White blood cells are responsible for fighting infections, and as they get picked up in the mucus, they can cause it to have a yellowish hue,.

Green phlegm is an indication that your body is fighting off a more serious infection.