Snot is made up of proteins, s alts and water. They stand out from the nose, have the consistency of mucus, their tone and intensity can be different. These secretions may include microimpurities of blood, pus. The appearance of a small number of snot is natural for a perfectly he althy person. They prevent water loss, dehydration of the respiratory tract, and also guarantee protection against dust, microorganisms.
When any kind of irritant affects the mucous membrane, the formation of snot is activated, but they do not change color. Colorless snot is characteristic of both an allergic rhinitis and a viral one without the presence of a bacterial infection. But the greenish, yellowish, dark brown color of these mucous secretions is considered a sign of an inflammatory process, the presence of an infection in the body. The color can help in clarifying the diagnosis, the doctor will immediately establish that greenish snot is characteristic of a bacterial infection.
Therefore, it is important to know howcure green snot in an adult quickly and effectively. The same applies to the child.
Why do adults have green snot?
The secretion of a green tint from the nose indicates one thing - the formation of a bacterial infection.
Most often this happens against the background of low immunity due to a viral illness experienced. In such cases, the so-called water from the nose is replaced by yellowish or greenish snot.
This is due to the fact that in the fight against viral particles, the immune system uses interferons, which destroy the activity of pathogens and lead to their death.
When a bacterial infection joins, completely different mechanisms and elements are used to protect the body and resume its normal activities, namely leukocytes.
These cells are in the blood and are functional only in relation to microorganisms, when interacting with which they are destroyed.
It is the fragments of leukocytes and bacterial cells that give the discharge from the nose a greenish color of different saturation. For this reason, the only thing that means greenish snot is an intense war of the body with pathogenic microorganisms.
Often, the following factors also influence the appearance of the disease:
- hypothermia;
- stress handling;
- exhausting physiological stress;
- the occurrence of serious pathologies of other organs that have a great impact on the functioning of the immune system, etc.
What diseasescan be provoked?
The mechanism of why yellow, pale greenish or darkish greenish snot occurs remains the same. There are a certain number of diseases accompanied by a similar phenomenon. This is:
- acute and prolonged sinusitis, in particular sinusitis;
- bacterial runny nose;
- adenoiditis.
But if adenoiditis is extremely rare in adults, then rhinitis and sinusitis are very common. However, this is not a reason to treat the situation carelessly, since in the absence of a quick and effective treatment, the infection can simply go to other organs, including the brain, and be a factor in the formation of life-threatening complications, for example:
- meningitis;
- encephalitis;
- sepsis;
- phlegmon;
- abscess of various tissues and structures and others.
Sinusitis
This unpleasant pathology, if left untreated, eventually develops into a chronic form and begins to annoy patients several times a year.
Therefore, you need to be able to determine the disease in the initial stages, then go through a whole course of treatment. Pathology is characterized by:
- severe nasal congestion;
- first yellowish, and then intense greenish or even greenish-brown discharge from one or two nostrils;
- headaches;
- sometimes constantly elevated temperature;
- a feeling of fullness, discomfort on one or both sides of the nose near the eyes, increasing when the head is tiltedforward;
- great impotence and a feeling of weakness.
The main indicator of sinusitis is considered to be the release of snot only in the morning, as during the night the outflow of mucus from the diseased sinuses is restored. Throughout the day, only severe nasal congestion can be traced, provoking the appearance of a headache.
Sinusitis is able to pass both with temperature and without it. It reaches great values in severe cases, if not simple, but acute purulent discharges accumulate in the maxillary sinuses. In such cases, they will have a rich yellow color and a strong unpleasant odor.
If you notice these signs in yourself, you do not need to think about what it means. You should go to the ENT as soon as possible and start therapy so that sinusitis does not subsequently become a constant companion of life.
Bacterial rhinitis
Bacterial rhinitis does not bring as many problems to patients as sinusitis, however, they should not be neglected. Often it provokes the development of bronchitis and other diseases.
When it is extremely rare, the general condition is severely disturbed. As a rule, a person is able to carry out his own daily direct duties, and the presence of an ailment is indicated only by the discharge of greenish mucus from the nose of different consistency.
And in some cases there may even be greenish snot with blood. If there are few reddish streaks in the discharge, most likely this is the result of a small mechanical damage.mucous when blowing your nose or pulling out crusts.
But if there is a fairly large amount of blood, this may be an indicator of the presence of a surgical pathology, for example, the formation of polyps or even tumors of one nature or another.
Adenoiditis
Growth of the pharyngeal tonsil or adenoiditis is a pathology that rarely occurs in adults. As a rule, children suffer from it, and it is diagnosed during the first five years of existence. However, there are exceptions.
With adenoids, patients are annoyed:
- heat, while it can rise to 39°C or more;
- pain and snot in the throat, flowing down the nasopharynx;
- paroxysmal coughing, for which discharge is unusual, although a small amount of nasal mucus can be expectorated;
- deterioration of general condition;
- tired.
Patients may complain that they often have headaches and aching ears. This does not indicate the spread of the inflammatory process and the formation of otitis, but is considered only the result of the transmission of nerve impulses.
Medicated treatment
How to cure thick green snot depends on the cause. Otherwise, if nasal drops are used without affecting the root cause, the disease may become chronic, which is much more difficult to cure.
Children's body is characterized by the immaturity of the immune system, for this reason, purulent contents from the nasal cavityis rapidly transmitted to the bronchopulmonary system. In the future, pneumonia and other complications often develop.
Initially, the doctor prescribes an antibiotic, which can help stop the development of pathogenic microflora in the body. Nasal drops and rinsing solutions can help clear thick snot from the nose.
Therapy is considered optimal if the complex of pharmaceuticals is selected based on the history of a particular baby. How to cure green snot in childhood and adulthood, read below.
Flushing
The younger the child, the more natural formulations are used for the purpose of washing. There are a large number of drugs available on the pharmacy market that are suitable for curing thickened nasal mucus in children, starting from infancy.
How to cure green snot in a child with washings? Suitable funds:
- "Furacilin". The drug is considered an antimicrobial drug, suitable for the local treatment of acute purulent diseases. Available in yellow pills. For use, dilute 1 in 100 g of hot, preferably boiled water. Mix thoroughly, if there are particles - filter. Wash the baby's nose with a special pear or syringe. Used by doctor's prescription.
- "Miramistin". Antiseptic medication, available in a package with a dispenser. Effective against bacteria and fungi. Suitable for complex treatment of sinusitis orcomplicated rhinitis. It has no aftertaste and aroma, does not cause discomfort. Allowed for use from 3 years of age as prescribed by a doctor.
- "Aqua Maris". It is a natural medical product based on sea water. Has no color or fragrance. Invented specifically for the treatment and prevention of rhinitis in a child from the first day of existence in the form of drops, and 1 year - in the form of a spray. Rinse the nasal cavity at least 4 times a day, unless the doctor has prescribed another treatment.
- "Aqualor". The drug is a natural isotonic sea water without other components. You can treat the common cold in children from the age of six months.
- Quicks. This spray is also considered a type of seawater nasal rinse medicine. According to the instructions, it is acceptable for use from the age of three months.
- Saline. If there is a shortage of any medicines at hand or unwillingness to use them, you can use a regular saline solution. It is similar to human body fluids, completely safe when used correctly. It is possible to rinse the nose with saline, replacing nasal drops with it. The medication is not suitable as a separate element of therapy, the therapeutic result is possible only in combination with medication.
Those who are wondering how to cure green snot in a pregnant woman can be advised to use the same drugs as for children.
Do I need an antibiotic?
Because green and thick nasal discharge is consideredinflammation, which is adjacent to a bacterial infection, then, as a rule, antibiotics are prescribed in such a case. But it is important to understand that sometimes it is also possible to cure green snot without antibiotics.
The use of this type of therapy is justified when the patient has intoxication of the body and a high temperature that lasts for a long time. Antibiotic nasal preparations may be prescribed, for example, Isofra, Polydex.
It is important to understand that when using an antibiotic, probiotics should be used to avoid dysbacteriosis.
If the disease is serious, then internal antibiotics are needed. How to cure a runny nose and green snot in this case? Depending on the pathogen, doctors prescribe different types of substances:
- macrolides ("Sumamed", "Azithromycin");
- penicillins ("Amoxicillin", "Amoxiclav", "Oxacillin");
- cephalosporin series ("Ceftriaxone", "Cephalexin").
Prevention
Diseases are much easier to avoid than to cure. In addition to knowing how to cure green snot in a child (thick and viscous), it is also important to stock up on prevention information.
Appropriate precautions must be taken to prevent green discharge.
Therefore, the implementation of simple rules will reduce the risk of complications - such as thick and green snot with colds:
- In case of colds and for the purpose of its prevention, it is preferable to wash the nose with a liquid with the addition of sea s alt.
- Do sports - need moderate exercise.
- Temper the body with cold and hot showers, outdoor walks and other recognized methods.
- Ensure he althy and natural nutrition.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Get a good night's sleep.
- Correct sleep is at least 8 hours.
- Try not to visit public areas with a significant epidemiological threat.
- Observe basic hygiene principles.
Besides this, you should have medical examinations every year.
Recipes of traditional medicine
If a runny nose is complicated by a bacterial infection, it is risky to self-medicate and rely only on folk remedies, but they can complement medical treatment well. How to cure green snot folk remedies:
- Rinse the nose with homemade formulations such as saline. Take half a teaspoon of sea or table s alt per 300 g of hot boiled water. The liquid is cooled before use. A solution of soda helps well (half a teaspoon per glass).
- Infusion of marigolds and yarrow (a tablespoon per glass of boiling water, leave for thirty minutes), as well as decoctions and infusions of chamomile, eucalyptus, oak bark, sage, succession.
- Diluted 1:3 juice of onion, aloe, cranberry or blackcurrant, beet orcarrots, as well as a mixture of any of the listed components with potato. For a child, it is recommended to partly dilute them with water, and even more correctly, with saline.
- S alt water with the addition of propolis tincture (a small spoonful of s alt and 15 drops of tincture per quarter liter);
- Water with celandine juice - 2 drops of fresh juice in a glass of water, use with caution, in significant concentration and if the dose is exceeded, the herb is dangerous.
These methods will alleviate the condition, but will not eliminate the cause of the disease.
