cold
May 8, 2024

Yellow runny nose: what to do?

There are a variety of different types of colds, but whether fluent flu or cold sore, shows when looking into the handkerchief yellow mucus, many patients with colds are worried. But should you worry about yellow nasal secretion right away? Learn more about colds, your nasal mucosa, symptoms, what you can do about it and when a doctor's visit is needed.

How is a cold?

Rhinoviruses, to German Snasal viruses, get into the nose, attach themselves to the nasal mucosa and multiply there.
Once the immune system has recognized the viruses as intruders, it sends defense cells into the nose via the blood. The blood vessels swell, the Nasal mucous membranes increasingly produce nasal secretions.
Now the patient feels symptoms. The Cold starts, Runny nose, initially mostly as runny nose, and the person affected feels a strong sneeze.
In the course of the cold, the secretion becomes more and more viscous, so that the solid mucus can no longer be well carried by the nasal hairs. The result: a stuffy nose, so-called permanent cold, and complicated nasal breathing.

Yellow runny nose: Why is the secretion yellow?

A common cold as a concomitant of a cold, doctors speak of rhinitis, typically runs in phases. While the secretion is initially whitish and quite fluid, it becomes viscous and yellow as the disease progresses.

What causes the nasal mucus to change its color is not clear from a medical point of view yet. Dead immune cells and other immune deficiency products are thought to play a rolewhich are disposed of via the secretion from the nose.

In addition to the viruses that cause colds, bacteria may or may not be in the game. Whereas earlier it was assumed that yellowish slime is a clear indication of an additional bacterial infection, today we know that the yellowish color does not equal one Secondary infection or superinfection must show.

Yellow runny nose: Possible complications

Although not always found in yellow nasal secretions, but bacteria tend to bacteria more often than in white mucus. Therefore, the yellow color of the secretion in a rhinitis is no reason to panic, but caution is advised. Yellowish slime, if it is full of bacteria, can cause the following diseases:

Sinusitis: If the nasal mucosa is affected by a bacterial superinfection, the infection can spread to the paranasal sinuses and cause a sinusitis there.
sinusitisIf the bacterial infection has reached the frontal sinuses, it can cause a painful inflammation there.
bronchitisIn bronchitis, the secondary infection has spread to the respiratory tract. Signs of this infection are green-yellowish expectoration on coughing, fever and labored breathing.
lung infectionThe stubborn bacterial agents can make it into the lungs and cause pneumonia there.

Yellow runny nose: what helps?

In order to avoid a secondary infection, it is particularly important that Nto cause swelling of the mucosaso that pathogens do not get into the paranasal sinuses. For this purpose, the active ingredient xylometazoline, which is in commercial nasal sprays or nasal drops.
Your body, when weakened by a cold, needs a lot of energy to fight against the pathogens. Give yourself rest, cure your cold and give you time to get well.
Nasal showers with salt water rid of nasal mucus, facilitate nasal breathing and inhibit sneezing.
Steam baths with chamomile or eucalyptus are a proven home remedy for colds. They clear the head, soothe the nasal mucous membranes and promote drainage of the nasal mucus.

Yellow runny nose: when is a doctor's visit advisable?

Normally, rhinitis has in a common cold after eight to ten days done by itself, If you are still complaining about symptoms after this period, or if the symptoms of cold have gotten worse, you should consult a doctor. He can differentiate between a variety of types of cold, examine your nasal secretion, and determine if your cold may be allergic.

In addition, a doctor's visit is advisable if you suffer from the following symptoms: