Very thick snot in infants. Thick white snot

What are snot? The secret, which is periodically distinguished from the nasal passages, consists of 3 components: water, salt and a specific protein - mucin. It is the last component that determines the properties of nasal secretions - thanks to it the snot is viscous and transparent. Accordingly, the greater the amount of mucin produced by the body, the thicker is the secretion from the nose. In principle, this is the answer to the question "why is the mucus in the nose thick?".

It should be noted that this protein is characterized by antiseptic properties - it helps to fight harmful microorganisms. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that, in the case of a disease from the category of colds, it begins to develop beyond the norm, and the person gets gelatinous secretions  from the nose.

  Why snot - like jelly

The nasal secretions of the mucous and liquid consistency turn into a thick rhinitis, usually due to the fact that the mucous membrane lining the nasal passages is irritated by an infection of viral or bacterial origin. Trying to protect themselves and quickly get rid of the stimulus, the shell begins to produce mucus in high quantities. It is she who pushes harmful microorganisms, as well as the pathogenic products of their vital activity closer to the exit from the nasal passages. As a result, thick mucus constantly accumulates in the nose.

Thick snot can be both transparent and colored. The color of the discharge may indicate a specific type of microbes or fungus, which provoked the inflammatory process that affected the nasal cavity.

So, thick mucus in the nose is:

  • white;
  • yellow;
  • brown;
  • green;
  • bloody.

If very thick snot  at the adult began to find any shade from listed, it is necessary to consult without delay with the otolaryngologist. After all, it is obvious that serious inflammation develops in the nose. You can effectively eliminate it with the help of medicines prescribed by your doctor.

  Causes of white viscous nasal secretions

By changes in the shade of nasal secretions, you can determine at what stage of development the disease is at the moment. For example, thick transparent snot in adults, they occur at the very beginning of the disease, at the stage of infection, or, conversely, when it is moving towards recovery. If the inflammatory process is only gaining momentum, then the consistency of the discharge is defined as “very thick snot”, and their color is traditionally white. White thick snot can be companions of such diseases and conditions:

  • allergic reactions;
  • sinusitis;
  • the proliferation of polyps and inflammation of the adenoids;
  • complications from SARS or measles;
  • deep caries that caused sinusitis.

Thick white snot - a sign of not only the classic cold, but also the defeat of the nasal passages fungal infection. If you focus only on this symptom, the disease is easily confused, which means it is wrong to heal and not achieve a result. Therefore, it is not recommended to expect the appearance of complications due to the rapid reproduction of a fungus such as Candida, because it is unlikely to get rid of it on its own. True, there is another option.


If there are thick white snot in an adult, this may indicate that the flow inflammatory process  delayed and the disease is already rather neglected. And yet, despite the likely reasons described, to answer the question of why the snot is white and thick, only an otolaryngologist should.

Also note that snot white color  (thick) in an adult cause significant inconvenience and serious discomfort. With the removal of them from the nasal passages usually arise difficulties, resulting in a violation of the full respiratory function.
  Where does the clear thick mucus in the nose come from

Transparent thick snot - one of the first symptoms that usually manifests itself acute infection  viral or nasopharyngeal bacterial disease. Literally in 2-3 days they become yellowish-green.

Often they also attend:

In children, jelly-like snot most often suggests that adenoids not only prohibitively grow, but also become inflamed. Transparent snot with white clots may well appear with incorrect treatment or in the absence of any treatment. In such a case, excretion can last more than 10 days.

Transparent for newborns viscous snot pose a danger. The fact is that they not only create serious obstacles for proper breathing with the nose, but also adversely affect the general well-being of the child - he cannot sleep and eat normally. Such problems with the baby’s health can be caused by excessively dry air, which he breathes, as well as his long stay in an unventilated room.

  Post factum

Summing up, we note: if there are thick snot in an adult, you should immediately contact the otolaryngologist to establish the correct diagnosis. And only after receiving it, you can proceed to one or another method of treatment. In addition, it is desirable to periodically take preventive measures so that the snot, like jelly from the nose, no longer appears.

If it turned out that the disease caused the virus, it is necessary to be treated accordingly with antiviral drugs. When the culprit was a bacterial infection, you need to use anything from the arsenal of antibiotics. If allergy has shown a cold, it is advisable to start taking antihistamines.

In cases where the viscous snot in an adult must be reduced to a liquid state, a specialist usually prescribes a mucolytic agent. Trying to self-medicate in such a difficult situation, you deliberately put your health at absolutely unreasonable risk.

In 8 cases out of 10 childhood diseases, a viral infection becomes the cause of the common cold. The body of the child in this way is protected from the stimulus, forming an immune system. The discharge of liquid mucus from the nozzle usually does not cause serious discomfort to the baby. Parents start worrying when thick yellow snot  The child has. To cure them quickly and not form chronic rhinitis, it is necessary to establish the cause of this symptom.

The production of nasal mucus occurs in order to protect the nasopharynx from external or internal irritants: dust, dirt, allergens, bacteria, viruses and other microparticles.

The excreted fluid consists of three components: water, salt, and mucin protein. If the child feels good, the balance of these components leads to the appearance of transparent and liquid snot. If enhanced mucin production occurs, then a runny nose acquires a more viscous consistency.  Occasionally, a child may have lumps of gel or lumps of jelly from the nose.

Acquisition of additional color indicates certain pathological processes. Only an otolaryngologist at the time of the survey can reliably establish them. Parents can only assume what exactly is the cause of the viscous rhinitis in their child.

Light yellow viscous

Nasal mucus clear and white is a sign of viral infection (ARVI). After some time from the onset of the disease, a yellowish snot may appear in the child.

Light and easily blowing out, they say that the period of the acute stage is coming to an end, and soon the baby will recover. Runny nose of this nature is not protracted. He disappears within a few days on his own.

If there is a thickening of light yellow mucus, this may indicate a lack of moisture. Perhaps the child consumes little liquid, or dry air prevails in the room. With proper therapy, viscous light snot disappears quickly.

If you follow the wrong method of treatment, then very soon they may become brighter in color.

Bright yellow and orange

Bright yellow nasal mucus can turn orange or even red. Often this happens when sinusitis - inflammation sinuses  the nose.

A cluster of thick mucus in the frontal and maxillary sinuses  leads to development in them bacterial infection. As a result of the disease, the nasal mucosa dries out and becomes thinner. The child may complain of discomfort when inhaled.

Orange tint snot gives blood secreted from burst capillaries. The snot can turn rusty or turn completely red with a thick consistency.

Yellow green

A runny nose with the formation of a secret of bright color indicates the body's fight against the infection. Thick yellow-green mucus, resembling pus, is released during the massive death of white blood cells in the fight against microbes.

It can be concluded that bright yellow or green snot talk about a bacterial infection in a child. In this situation, your child definitely needs a consultation from an otolaryngologist, because parents can not thoroughly examine the nasopharynx.

Diagnoses that the doctor can make with this symptom:
  • sinusitis;
  • adenoiditis;
  • rhinopharyngitis;
  • otitis.

All pathologies of bacterial origin.

Komarovsky about thick salts

In their programs and blogs, the famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky talks about how it is necessary and impossible to treat a cold in children. Often, parents themselves become the unwitting culprits of the fact that their sons have thick snot.

E.O. Komarovsky urges all parents to put the magic pills away and put the nasal drops in the first-aid kit. The first thing to do before treating snot is to create a comfortable environment so that the child can breathe easily.

The temperature in the room should be no more than 20-22 degrees, optimally 18-20. No need to worry that the little patient will freeze. Mom should wear it in warm clothes, and before going to bed in thick pajamas made of breathable materials. The air in the room should be humid. Suitable for ill children - 60-70%. Also, the child needs plenty of drink.

If these conditions are met, the nasal mucus simply cannot thicken. The nozzles will be fluid, and the nasal cavity will be cleaned quickly.

Komarovsky also encourages you to consider whether the child is breathing normally. When the nasal mucus thickens, there is swelling and, as a result, congestion. In these cases, it is advisable to use vasoconstrictor drops.

It must be remembered that they give a symptomatic effect, but they do not cure a cold in any way, so there is no need to pour the drug into the baby’s nose all the time. To use vasoconstrictor agents  need as needed and no more than 5 days in a row.

Dr. Komarovsky assures that the right approach  and good organization of the environment, runny nose in children goes away for 7 days. If during this time the baby has not become easier, then he must be shown to the otolaryngologist.

Treatment methods

Methods of treating a viscid rhinitis suggest an integrated approach. Symptomatic agents and drugs that eliminate its cause, will help in a short time to get rid of the problem, then the snot will become thicker again.

Rinsing

Thick snot in a child must be diluted with salt solutions. You can purchase them in a pharmacy without a prescription: Physiomer, Dolphin, Aquamaris, Quicks and others. If desired, it is permissible to take sodium chloride or saline. Also saline solution  can be cooked at home.

It is possible to wash the nasal passages of the child only if he does not have a tendency to otitis or hypersensitivity to the components of the drug. Doctors otolaryngologists recommend not to pour the medicine to the nasal sinuses.

It is enough to introduce a few drops of the drug in each nostril, and then to blow the baby.

For babies, it is preferable to use aspirators, since they still cannot clean the nasal passages on their own. During the day, it is recommended to inject the saline solution at least 6-8 times. If there is dry air in the room, which cannot be moistened, then the frequency of using the preparations should be higher.

Nasal drops

If there are yellow snot in infants or children of the first year of life, then you should not use any medications yourself.

Any medication for babies should be prescribed by a specialist. Often, babies and newborns are not recommended any treatment, as their runny nose is physiological.

In other cases, experienced mothers already know what arsenal of first-aid kit is needed to treat a thick, cold, yellow rhinitis.

  • Antibiotics: Isofra, Polydex, Dioxidin.

Applied in the appropriate age group of 0, 2.5 and 16 years. Medicines deny the local antimicrobial effect, eliminating pathogenic flora. It should be noted that Komarovsky opposes the nasal application of antibiotics, positioning such treatment as ineffective and unsafe.

His opinion is based on the fact that active substance  drugs can not accumulate in the nasal mucosa. Because of this, resistance (resistance to the drug) of bacteria increases. Despite this, many doctors prescribe an antibiotic for their children in the nose, and parents talk about the effectiveness of this therapy.

  • Antiseptics: Miramistin, Chlorhexidine, Octenisept.

Drugs are prescribed to children for the treatment of the nose in cases where it is not possible to identify the causative agent of the disease. These antiseptics are effective for viral, fungal and bacterial infections. Protargol has a wide application in pediatric otolaryngology and its modern analogue  Sialor

  • Mucolytic Rinofluimucil.

Appointed to children from 3 years, before - with caution. The active ingredients of the drug have a vasoconstrictor and mucolytic action. They facilitate breathing, dilute the thick sputum and easily remove it from the nasal cavity.

  • Corticosteroids: Avamis, Tafen, Nasonex.

Younger children are recommended the first option. Avamys refers to hormonal drugs. It removes puffiness, has anti-inflammatory effect. According to the instructions, it is used for allergic viscous rhinitis, but otolaryngologists also prescribe it for adenoiditis, which is accompanied by the formation of purulent mucus  in the nose.

To maintain immunity and enhance body resistance, it is recommended to use immunomodulators: Grippferon, Laferobin, Nazoferon, Irs-19.

Folk methods

Traditional methods of treatment are not neglected by modern parents. Mothers want to cure a child with natural resources in this way without harming his health. However, this approach may be much more dangerous than traditional treatment regimens.

This is what traditional medicine offers for treating children of all ages from viscous yellow snot:

  • inhalations with boiled potatoes, salt water, the addition of aromatic oils;
  • radish juice, which has an antibacterial and sputum-thinning effect, is injected with 3-4 drops several times in each nostril;
  • chopped onions wrapped in cheesecloth and put a compress in each nostril for 5-10 minutes;
  • beet juice, diluted with water in equal proportions, instilled into the nasal passages to eliminate pathogenic flora;
  • aloe juice - a universal remedy for the common cold of any origin, eliminates pathogenic microorganisms;
  • decoctions of chamomile, sage, thyme have anti-inflammatory, expectorant effect.

When using folk treatment methods, it is necessary to carefully monitor the reaction of the child. For strange symptoms such as allergies, headaches or dyspeptic disorders, you should immediately apply for medical care.

What if the treatment does not help

If during a week of independent efforts a runny nose does not pass, then this may be a sign of improper treatment. If a child has a bacterial infection, then otpaivanie tea and bed rest without the use of antibiotics will not help.

The baby needs a course of antimicrobials. In this case, the drugs are selected by the doctor so that the microorganisms are sensitive to them. If parents see that their methods do not improve the baby’s well-being or the child only gets worse, and also when high temperature  body, snoring, a complete lack of nasal breathing and pain in the ears, you must urgently contact the children's otolaryngologist.

Oct 27, 2017 Julia Astafieva

Over the course of our lives, we often runny nose, and in childhood rhinitis occurs several times a year. They usually accompany viral infections  or are a symptom of allergies. Their manifestations are pronounced and for a long time  can not remain unnoticed. But this cannot be said about, which appear without a significant reduction in overall health, but at the same time may signal the development of serious inflammation in the nose and paranasal sinuses. Treatment of such snot should be immediate.

Transparent thick snot in a child, in most cases, is a sign allergic reaction  or rhinitis nonbacterial origin. Laboratory tests will help confirm this.

The cause of the appearance of dense clear mucus  the child’s nose may have dehydration and a violation of the temperature or humidity in the room where he spends most of the day. Therefore, when a thick snot is found in a baby, it is not at all superfluous to conduct the following activities that can help get rid of them:

  • Air out the room;
  • Do wet cleaning regularly;
  • Avoid contact with possible allergens;
  • Increase the time of walking in the fresh air.

If the child’s tight mucus in the nose does not diminish, and the transparent snot continues to progress, consultation with a doctor and immediate treatment is necessary.

Thick appear when rhinitis of any etiology, which has passed into a neglected form, as well as the development of such dangerous diseases  respiratory system like bronchitis and pneumonia. A yellow-green thick mucus in the nasal passages is observed when attaching a bacterial infection. This color gives it the decay products of pathogens and dead leukocytes. Green snotdangerous symptomwhich should not be ignored by the parents.

Transparent taut snot in infants appear for the same reasons, but the disease itself is much more difficult. After all, crumb for most of the day is in a horizontal position and does not know how to blow out at all. Therefore, parents will need to regularly clean its nasal passages from mucus and clearly follow all the recommendations of the doctor. Green snot in infants indicate the accession of infection, so without using antibacterial drugs  do most likely will not work.

Danger of thick snot

Thick snot in a child should be treated immediately, even if they do not cause much discomfort. Since their prolonged course can provoke the development of serious complications that require thorough treatment. Namely:

  • Dense transparent snot are dangerous lesions of the throat and lower respiratory tract; Non-diluted mucus causes severe nasal congestion, with the result that the brain can receive less oxygen in full, which is fraught with hypoxia and retarded development of the baby;
  • Green snot, without proper treatment, can cause the development of sinusitis, requiring immediate antibiotic therapy.
  • Parents should remember that self-medication will not only not have the desired effect, but, even, can harm. Therefore, to cure the baby from tight snot can only be under the supervision of a physician. Green snot require special attention, because they can be a sign of the development of inflammation in the sinuses.

Principles of treatment of thick snot

Acute viral rhinitis, doctors, as a rule, need to be treated with antiviral drugs of a new generation and immunomodulators, and the condition of the baby should be alleviated using carefully selected vasoconstrictor drops  into the nose. As for thick snot, the principle of their treatment will be somewhat different. The fact is that their appearance may be caused by a number of factors. Therefore, treatment is prescribed only after finding out the reason for their cause. Green snot suggest treatment with antibiotics.


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In the presence of thick mucus in the nasal passages, the parents of the sick child should pay special attention to nasal hygiene. It should consist in its regular cleansing, which can be done with an aspirator or a nozzle. It is recommended to rinse the nose with pharmacy isotonic solutions - Marimer, Aquamaris, Aqualor, etc., or use saline for this purpose. After thorough cleansing of the nose, with the advice of the doctor, you can use vasoconstrictor nasal drops, which reduce the production of thick secretions.

To treat thick transparent, white or green, poorly detachable from the nasal passages, snot should be phased:

  • Dilute the thick secret;
  • Remove diluted snot and softened mucus;
  • Instill nose using vasoconstrictor or antibacterial drops.

In the absence of the effect of local antibiotic drugs, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics for oral administration. This is usually required or attached purulent inflammation  in the sinuses.

Folk remedies against thick snot

Any recipes from the home directory traditional medicine  can not be regarded as a complete treatment of thick snot in a child, especially if they are prescribed independently. Methods of traditional medicine can be used only as an adjuvant therapy for the main treatment and only after consulting a doctor.

However, the treatment folk methods  thick snot in children, when properly used, is used to quickly alleviate the condition of the child and as a prevention of complications.


Most popular folk ways  getting rid of the thick mucus in the baby’s nose will be:

  • Beet juice, which is diluted in equal proportions with boiled water and used as drops in the nose;
  • Rinse nose sea ​​salt  with the addition of a few drops of iodine;
  • From the decoction of chamomile pharmaceutical, St. John's wort, calendula and sage in the same proportions to do steam inhalation;
  • To drip nose drops from aloe and kalanchoe juice and other methods.

Before treating a child with folk methods, it is necessary to make sure that he does not have an allergic reaction to medicinal herbs. After all, they are not so harmless, as many believe, and if used incorrectly, can lead to undesirable consequences.

How to speed recovery

Recovery will come sooner if the child is treated comprehensively to rid the child of thick snot, to treat not only with medication, but also actively apply other recommendations of the pediatrician. Namely:

  • Do not allow the child to overheat;
  • Ventilate the baby’s room as often as possible;
  • Do not refuse to walk in the fresh air, if weather conditions allow;
  • Get rid of potential allergens;
  • Observe the temperature and regularly humidify the air;
  • Completely eliminate self-treatment, which includes vasoconstrictor nasal drops;
  • During day or night sleep, provide the child with a comfortable head position, in which thick mucus will not block the gaps of the nasal passages and will not interfere with breathing;
  • Regularly clear the nose of accumulated mucus;
  • In the absence of temperature, do not abandon nightly bathing;
  • Give your child to drink as much fluid as possible, to prevent dehydration.

Of course, the appearance of thick snot is easier to prevent than to cure, therefore, it is important not to run a cold and get rid of it in a timely manner and under the supervision of a physician.

Prevention

Methods of prevention of education in the nasal passages of the child thick mucus will be the same as the prevention of the appearance common cold  and other diseases of ENT organs. These include:

  • Compliance with the temperature;
  • Immunity strengthening;
  • Good nutrition;
  • Regular walks in the fresh air;
  • Hygiene;
  • Elimination of contact with the sick;
  • Treatment at the doctor.

Transparent, white or not a sentence. At observance of all recommendation of the expert, they can be cured quite quickly and without consequences for a small organism.