Chest congestion from accumulation of inflammatory cells and fluid in the bronchial tubes or lungs often occurs in people with lung infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Chest congestion can also affect people with chronic disease such as congestive heart failure, where a weakened heart is unable to pump blood effectively, causing fluid to back up into the lungs or cystic fibrosis, abnormal mucus production. Symptoms of chest congestion can vary from mild to life-threatening.
Cough
A cough is the body's attempt to eliminate fluid or other irritants from the lungs. While coughs can interfere with sleep and cause muscle soreness in the chest, suppressing a cough prevents the body from ridding itself of the irritant and should be avoided if possible. Loosening secretions through humidification or by taking expectorants to thin mucus makes coughing more productive and rids the lungs of excess mucus more quickly. Treating the cause of congestion by giving antibiotics in the case of infection, or by treating the cause of congestive heart failure, helps improve cough.
Breathing Problems
Lungs are normally air-filled, not fluid-filled, so congestion in the lungs makes breathing difficult. Shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing and difficulty talking can all occur in people with chest congestion. Pulmonary edema caused by congestive heart failure can cause a person feel like they're smothering. Breathing becomes faster and deeper in an attempt to get more air into the lungs. Breathing problems may increase when a person increases their physical activity and subside when the person rests. Breathing difficulties may worsen when a person lies flat and improve when they sit up, or may occur suddenly in the night, a condition called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, the Merck Manual explains. Retractions, a sucking in of the skin over the neck or center of the chest with each breath, can indicate difficulty in getting enough air into the lungs, the Ohio State University Medical Center explains.
Increased Mucus Production
Chest congestion often results from mucus accumulation in the lungs. People with cystic fibrosis and other chronic lung diseases often take a regimen of medications to decrease or thin mucus. Positioning, called postural drainage, drains secretions while clapping on the chest to loosen mucus makes it easier to cough up from the lungs. People who cough so hard that they break a small blood vessel in the throat may spit up blood-tinged mucus. Foul smelling yellow or green mucus may indicate a bacterial infection, MedlinePlus warns. A person with excess mucus production may feel or hear a "rattling" in the chest.
Cyanosis
Chest congestion can reduce the amount of oxygen supplied by the lungs. Skin may turn slightly blue, especially around the mouth, inside the lips or on the fingernails, a condition called cyanosis, the Ohio State University Medical Center explains.
