If you have asthma or frequent bouts of bronchitis, you know what it feels like to struggle to breathe because of excessive mucus in your airways. When you know why your system produces so much mucus, you can address the causes to treat your condition. Treatments for bronchitis are similar to treatments for asthma -- bronchodilator, inhaled corticosteroids and extra fluids. Antibiotics for bacterial bronchitis and expectorants may also be prescribed to target infection and excess mucus.
Causes
If you have been diagnosed with asthma, your airways are especially sensitive to triggers like cold air, strong emotions or -- with allergic asthma -- allergens. Once you have been diagnosed with asthma, you always live with this condition. During an asthma attack, one of the body’s responses to a trigger is increased secretion of mucus, which also causes breathing difficulties. You may begin accumulating mucus in your airways if you have bronchitis, whether it is chronic or acute. If you have bronchitis, your airways produce excessive mucus, which makes it more difficult for you to breathe.
Mucus from Asthma
If you are asthmatic, your airways are more sensitive to various triggers, or substances that cause your airways to respond by tightening. If you are exposed to an allergen like smoke, strong odors or pollen, lining of the airways within your lungs swells. The trigger does not have to be a physical one. If you are under excess stress, your body becomes more fatigued, which may increase your asthma symptoms or make you more vulnerable to an asthma attack.
Process of an Attack
Before an asthma attack begins, you are exposed to a substance your body perceives as dangerous, or you experience a strong emotion. With either trigger, your airways suddenly respond, becoming swollen and inflamed; they also narrow from inflammation. Small muscle bands surrounding your airways suddenly tighten. Further, airways begin producing excess mucus. With the inflammation and mucus production, your ability to breathe is compromised. You start coughing as your body tries to pull in oxygen and your airways continue to constrict. If the constriction is severe enough, you may begin wheezing. Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound.
Bronchitis and Mucus
When you have bronchitis, you develop inflammation of the airways leading to your lungs. Bronchitis that develops from viral infections or bacteria is called infectious bronchitis. If you have a case of bronchitis that has lasted for several months, your doctor may diagnose you with chronic bronchitis. If your chronic bronchitis restricts your airflow, your doctor may diagnose you with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Your bronchitis symptoms may include a low fever, ranging from 100 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, symptoms are more severe than those of a cold and can include tiredness, sore throat and shortness of breath, chills, achy muscles, a runny nose and dry cough. You begin coughing up white mucus if your infection is viral. If your illness is bacterial, the mucus changes color to yellow or green. You may find it more difficult to breathe as your airways produce more mucus and you begin coughing more. As you recover, your cough may last for several weeks.
Contributing Factors
You may develop bronchitis because of particles in the air or an infection that establishes itself in your respiratory system and airways. If you have a chronic lung condition or if you smoke, your airways are weakened; they don’t clear themselves of mucus as easily as those of healthier people. If you have frequent sinus infections or have allergies, you may have a higher risk of developing bronchitis. Children diagnosed with enlarged tonsils also may have a higher risk of bronchitis.
