Phlegm
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Reviewed By:
Phillip Aguila, MD, MBA (Respiratory medicine, Critical Care)
Eisaku Kamakura, MD (Respiratory medicine)
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People with these symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
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Blood-tinged sputum
Bringing up mucus
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Content updated on Sep 6, 2022
About the symptom
Phlegm is a form of mucus produced in the lungs. You usually don't produce noticeable amounts of phlegm unless you have a cold or another underlying medical condition. Sputum is the term for phlegm that is coughed up.
When to see a doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
Repeated fever above 38 ℃
Peripheral cyanosis
Difficulty breathing / breathlessness
Respiratory wheeze
Fever
Possible causes
- Cough variant asthma
A type of asthma where the main symptom is a persistent dry cough. This is due to the airways being highly sensitive and overreacting to foreign substances. The underlying cause is unclear but involves genetics. There are many triggers for asthma flares, including smoke, pollen, dust mite droppings, cold weather, exercise and viral infections.
- Common cold (upper respiratory tract infection)
Viral infection of the nose and throat. Symptoms include coughing, runny nose and throat pain. The majority of colds are caused by viruses; a small number are caused by bacteria instead.
- Acute / chronic tracheitis / bronchitis
Inflammation of the airways, usually caused by "flu" viruses spreading to the airways. Symptoms include vigorous coughing, increased phlegm, fever and lethargy. It is usually caused by viruses rather than bacteria.
- Sinusitis
- Alzheimer dementia (AD)
- MRSA infection
Related serious diseases
- Tuberculosis (TB) (including scrofuloderma)
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, most commonly in the lungs. Other sites of infection include the lymph nodes, intestines, and skin.
- Pneumonia (lower respiratory tract infection)
- Aspergillus
- Deep-seated mycosis
Questions your doctor may ask about this symptom
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom
Do you have phlegm?
Do you have blood in your phlegm?
Do you have a cough?
Do you have a fever?
Do you have a sore throat?
Other Related Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from the same body system / part
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
Reviewed By:
Phillip Aguila, MD, MBA (Respiratory medicine, Critical Care)
Eisaku Kamakura, MD (Respiratory medicine)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD
Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)
National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan