High humidity

Sputum is produced in various diseases of the respiratory system and is removed from the respiratory tract by coughing and expectoration. The amount of sputum can vary: from single spitting for bronchitis and initial forms of pneumonia to 1-2 liters for suppurative lung diseases (see Bronchiectasis). Sputum production depends on the patency of the bronchi, on the position of the patient (for example, increased sputum production when positioned on the healthy side), usually has no odor; it acquires a putrid or fetid odor during the putrefactive process in the lungs, during their decay.

The consistency and color of sputum depend on its composition. The sputum may be thin, viscous, or thick. There are mucous, serous, purulent, mucopurulent, serous-purulent and bloody sputum. Mucous sputum is colorless, transparent, viscous, observed in the initial stages of bronchitis, pneumonia, and bronchial asthma. Serous sputum is liquid, transparent, foamy, and is secreted during pulmonary edema. Purulent sputum is creamy, greenish, and is formed during suppurative processes in the lungs. Bloody sputum contains blood in varying quantities, of varying quality and is secreted in various diseases of the lungs and heart. Sputum may contain cellular elements of blood, tumor cells, elastic formations of protozoa, animals (echinococcus, roundworm larvae) and plant parasites (fungi), and various bacteria.

It must be remembered that sputum can serve as a source of spread of many infectious diseases. For the purpose of prevention, it is important to follow the necessary rules of behavior: you should not spit on the floor or on the sidewalk, you should not cough into your palm, because microorganisms from sputum that fall on the hand can be transmitted through a handshake and remain on objects touched by the hand (money, door handles, handles and handrails in transport, etc.). When coughing with a small amount of sputum, you need to cover your mouth with a handkerchief or the back of your left hand. It is absolutely unacceptable to cough in such a way that sputum could fall on the person standing next to you.

Patients who produce sputum must collect it in special spittoons with lids; Swallowing phlegm is harmful.

The sputum collected in the spittoon must be filled with a disinfectant solution (Lysol, chloramine) before being discharged into the sewer. An empty spittoon is disinfected by boiling in a soda solution.

If laboratory testing is necessary, sputum is collected in a clean container within 24 hours, without adding disinfectant solutions. Sputum has significant diagnostic and prognostic value in many diseases, primarily of the respiratory system. To do this, its general properties are studied by inspection, the quantity is measured and laboratory analysis of physical and chemical properties is carried out, as well as bacteriological, cytological and other studies. After coughing up mucus, rinse your mouth.

For all infectious diseases accompanied by sputum production, you must carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene. The appearance of a cough with sputum requires mandatory consultation with a doctor.

Phlegm or pleura is one of the most important functions of the respiratory system. It removes germs from the surface of the lungs. Without it, the lungs and bronchi would quickly turn into a “garbage dump” in which bacteria and cancer cells develop. But in a healthy body, the body always produces phlegm itself and removes it in time so that a person can fully function day and night.

Think for yourself, during the day we eat, drink tea, coffee, eat ice cream, nuts, lick and swallow cookies, cakes, chips. All this, together with water, contains minerals and vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins dissolved in it. Food enters the mouth, mixes with saliva and enters the stomach, where it is processed and passes into the intestines, where it is subjected to bacterial treatment. Then all these “unhealthy substances” are removed from our body. First in liquid form with feces, then with urine and finally in the form of sputum. Passing through the entire body and interacting with living cells and internal organs, sputum removes toxins, excess water, microorganisms, and produces gases. Without this, our body would be useless and could neither work nor breathe.

What is a cough? When phlegm, food, drinks, bacteria and harmful substances enter the respiratory tract, they mix and prevent us from breathing. Hence the cough. After all, phlegm also wants to come out. And in order to get out, it must overcome inflammation and mucus that interferes with air circulation through the bronchi. At the same time, the bronchi themselves, their walls and the nervous system around them begin to experience severe stress from everything that is happening. Inflammation sets in. Its purpose is to protect the respiratory system from bacteria or germs entering them. The immune system, directed against infections, produces a lot of mucus and droplets of blood when coughing up. This is a very strong immune process. It occurs due to inflammation in the bronchi. The longer it lasts and