What is the cause of yellow phlegm?
Recently, discussions about health issues have become increasingly popular on major social platforms and search engines. Among them, "what causes yellow phlegm" has become the focus of many netizens. This article will combine hot topics and medical knowledge on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide you with a detailed analysis of the causes of yellow phlegm, related diseases and countermeasures.
1. Common causes of yellow phlegm
Yellow phlegm is usually one of the typical symptoms of respiratory tract infection and may be caused by the following reasons:
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| bacterial infection | For example, due to infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, the sputum turns yellow due to purulent secretions. |
| viral infection | In the later stages of a cold or flu, an immune response may cause the phlegm to become darker. |
| chronic bronchitis | Long-term inflammatory stimulation makes phlegm thick and yellow. |
| sinusitis | Purulent secretions from postnasal drip mix with phlegm to form yellow phlegm. |
| environmental factors | Increased respiratory secretions due to air pollution or smoking. |
2. Association between accompanying symptoms and disease
According to the recent analysis of hot search keywords in the health category, yellow phlegm is often accompanied by the following symptoms, which may indicate different diseases:
| accompanying symptoms | May be associated with diseases | Hot search index (last 10 days) |
|---|---|---|
| Fever, chest pain | pneumonia, pleurisy | ★★★☆☆ |
| long term cough | Chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis | ★★★★☆ |
| Nasal congestion, headache | sinusitis | ★★☆☆☆ |
| difficulty breathing | COPD, acute asthma attack | ★★★☆☆ |
3. Recent hot topics of discussion
1.“Does yellow phlegm require antibiotics?”: The Weibo health topic list shows that more than 60% of netizens mistakenly believe that antibiotics are necessary for yellow phlegm, but the actual decision depends on the cause of the disease.
2.“Yellow phlegm does not heal after recovery from COVID-19”: The Baidu search index increased by 42%, and experts suggested investigating the possibility of secondary bacterial infection.
3."Yellow Phlegm Syndrome Differentiation from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine": Xiaohongshu’s related notes received over 10,000 likes, mentioning syndrome types such as “lung heat” and “phlegm-dampness”.
4. Response suggestions and precautions
| Situation classification | Handling suggestions |
|---|---|
| Mild yellow phlegm (<3 days) | Drink more water, honey and water to moisten your throat and observe changes |
| Lasts more than 1 week | It is necessary to seek medical treatment for routine blood test/C-reactive protein test. |
| accompanied by high fever | Emergency diagnosis to check for possible pneumonia |
| smoker | Chest CT is recommended to rule out chronic lung disease |
5. Preventive measures
1.Enhance immunity: Recently, the topic "Enhance respiratory immunity" on Douyin has been played 120 million times. It is recommended to supplement vitamin C/D.
2.Keep the air moist: Use a humidifier to avoid drying out mucous membranes, and related discussions on Weibo increased by 35% week-on-week.
3.Quit smoking and limit alcohol: A Zhihu hot post pointed out that smokers are 3-5 times more likely to develop yellow phlegm than non-smokers.
Summary: Yellow phlegm is an important signal of respiratory health. It may be a symptom of a common cold or may indicate a serious infection. Based on the hot discussions on the Internet, if symptoms last for more than 1 week or are accompanied by other discomforts, you should seek medical treatment in time to determine the cause and avoid blind use of medication. The climate has changed recently. It is recommended to pay attention to respiratory protection and reasonably deal with the high incidence of seasonal diseases.
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