Blowing the nose, sniffling, sneezing and blowing the nose again… These well-known winter gestures accompany a more or less viscous liquid produced by the nose called mucus, or more scientifically: nasal mucus. Unattractive, however, it plays an essential role in our body.
“Mucus, like cerumen (earwax, editor’s note), has this ‘dirty’ look but it’s essential,” explains Amine Harichane, a pediatric otolaryngologist and member of the French Society of Otolaryngology (SFORL) in BFMTV.com.
· What are mucus made of?
Mucus “forms part of the biological fluids that the body secretes”, here the nasal mucosa, explains Vincent Burcia, general secretary of the national union of specialists in Ear, Nose and Throat (SNORL) on BFMTV.com.
If the mucus that comes out through the nose is the one we see the most, specify that other mucus is produced by the mouth, the throat, but also the lungs or the eyes.
“Mucus is more often described as a viscous fluid, made up primarily of water and glycoproteins that cause it to stick to the mucous membrane,” says Amine Harichane.
“Mucus is made up mostly of water. But it also contains special proteins, sugars and molecules that help the body control harmful germs,” he explains. American Institute of Health (NIH). The antibodies are there.
· How many are produced per day?
Our body creates mucus continuously, every day, without us having a constant runny nose. “In normal times, it is a continuous secretion like saliva,” explains Amine Harichane. The body produces about a liter per day. “You don’t notice it in normal times, but only when there is overproduction.”
This production of nasal mucus “can increase a lot during an infectious or allergic period, up to 2 or 3 liters a day,” he adds. Because “as soon as we have an allergy or a bacterium, we produce more mucus.”
For example, in the case of contamination by a virus, the mucosa “swells, becomes irritated and produces more secretions, in such quantity that ‘the nose gets stuffy’ or ‘the nose runs’. It is also the seat of an inflammation associated with redness, edema (swelling) and sore throat”, summarizes the Health Insurance.
· Why is it essential?
This liquid is a tool to repel intruders. “90% of the air we breathe passes through the nose”, recalls Vincent Burcia. Y this air is far from pure.
Nasal mucus, therefore, helps to filter it by capturing unwanted organisms trying to enter our body. It will trap these unwanted elements in its fluid which will then be returned to the stomach, which will act as an incinerator, or to the outside.
“Coughing or sneezing are caused by irritation of the mucosa, and allow hundreds of viruses to be expelled to the outside”, explains the Institut Pasteur. “In the same way, the nasal secretion, through the secretion of mucus by the nasal mucosa, helps to evacuate the viruses.”
The mucus “represents a barrier against external aggressions, whether infectious (bacteria, viruses, etc.) or allergic”, Amine Harichane abounds.
Therefore, mucus is dry clumps of mucus and trapped particles. “One piece of advice: don’t eat the boogers”, This is how the Cité des Sciences recommends. “They can be full of nasty things like viruses or bacteria.”
This fluid also has other functions in the body. The mucus thus makes it possible to “lubricate the airways”, specifies Amine Harichane. This keeps the inside of the nostrils moist and prevents the tissues from drying out.
· Why does it change texture and color?
If the mucus is “fluid and clear like water”this pleads “in favor of an allergy or a coryza (simple viral infection)”, describes the otolaryngologist.
If it is “thick and yellow-green like pus”, it can come from a bacterial infection, such as sinusitis. “Indeed, the mucus is loaded with bacteria and changes its appearance when evacuating.”
“When you have a cold, flu or infection, your body sends white blood cells to repair the lesions. These cells contain green enzymes that change the color of mucus,” Canadian pharmaceutical Buckley’s explains on its website.
The appearance of the nasal mucus actually changes during the course of the disease. After two or three days, “it ceases to be translucent and becomes thicker, colored (yellow-green), sometimes with bloody streaks.” “These secretions change again a few days later, they become less thick, clearer, then they decrease in quantity and the nasal obstruction disappears,” writes the Health Insurance.
Snot can also turn red, a liquid that must be distinguished from nosebleeds, points out Vincent Burcia. “This means that the mucosa is attacked and bleeds,” he explains.
“The nasal mucosa is highly vascularized: in the event of infection or even inopportune blowing, the small vessels can burst and stain the mucus with blood. But by definition the mucus is transparent or thick, it is the blood that can make it blush”, also says Amine Harichane.
· When should you worry?
“Producing mucus is normal, having runny nose in winter is normal,” insists Vincent Burcia. The otolaryngologist reminds that in case of a cold, the runny nose can “last between 7 and 15 days” and disappear on its own.
However, some additional symptoms should alert you, such as fever, runny nose that does not stop after more than 15 days, severe pain, or repeated bleeding. In these cases, a doctor should be consulted.
“You should consult when (the flow) becomes chronic”, also underlines the University Hospital of Lille. “A subsequent discharge may be responsible for a chronic cough.”
To feel better in case of a cold, the Health Insurance advises moistening “the inside of the nose with appropriate products (physiological saline, thermal or seawater spray)”.
On the other hand, if “nasal (to put in the nose) or oral (to take by mouth) vasoconstrictors reduce the sensation of nasal congestion and facilitate breathing, by reducing swelling of the mucous membrane.” , should not be used for a long time, associated and without the advice of the pharmacist.
Vincent Burcia, for his part, recommends washing the nose more, in the morning and at night, for example with physiological saline, “to eliminate the infected mucus” of the day.
Source: BFM TV
