If the mucus turns from clear to yellow, does it mean that the cold is getting lighter or heavier? Is it a bacterial infection?

A friend caught a cold a few days ago. She called Huazi to complain that the cold was so annoying. She had a runny nose all day long and had to wipe her nose with tissues all the time. Her nose was almost scratched. In recent days, she found that her nasal discharge had turned from clear to yellow. She looked up information on it herself. Some people said that this was a sign that the cold would soon heal, while others said that it was a complicated bacterial infection and she needed to take antibiotics.

She couldn't make up her mind, so she came to ask Huazi, if the mucus during a cold turns from clear to yellow, does it mean that the cold is getting lighter or more serious? Is it really a bacterial infection and does she need to take medicine?

1. Where does snot come from and where does it go? 1. The source of snot: There are mucus cells in the human nose, which secrete mucus all the time. Their function is to moisten the inhaled air and to adhere to particles and microorganisms in the air, which has a defensive effect on the human body.

Another part of the snot comes from tears. The human eye and nasal cavity are connected by the nasolacrimal duct, and the tears secreted by the lacrimal glands will enter the nasal cavity through the nasolacrimal duct. Therefore, when people cry, they will show "snot and tears".

2. Where does the snot go? Whether it is secreted by nasal cells or comes from tears, the final destination is to be swallowed into the stomach. This "destination" sounds disgusting, but it is the truth.

The human body produces hundreds of milliliters of mucus every day. Some of the mucus will evaporate and dry up in the nasal cavity to form nasal mucus. Most of the mucus will be sent to the pharynx by the cilia on the nasal mucosa swinging from front to back and finally swallowed into the stomach.

2. Why does the nasal discharge change from clear to yellow? More than 90% of colds are caused by viruses, which invade the nasal mucosa and stimulate increased mucus secretion, which is manifested by an increase in clear watery nasal discharge. When the nasal discharge changes from clear to yellow, it is common in two situations.

In the first case, the cold is coming to an end. Viral colds are self-limiting diseases that can heal themselves in about 7 to 10 days. At the end of the cold, the body will clean up the cells damaged by the virus and replace them with new cells. The mucus containing the dead cells will appear yellow, but the amount of mucus will gradually decrease, and the symptoms of the cold will become lighter and lighter.

The second situation is complicated by bacterial infection. If complicated by bacterial infection, immune cells and bacteria will "die together" after fighting, forming pus, and the nasal discharge will also turn yellow. However, the amount of nasal discharge will not decrease and may even increase, accompanied by worsening cold symptoms such as yellow sputum, fever, cough, headache, etc.

3. Do not use antibiotics indiscriminately. In other words, the color of the snot alone cannot indicate whether the cold has become lighter or worse. It needs to be judged in combination with the specific symptoms at the time. Even if the symptoms worsen, there may be a concurrent bacterial infection, and antibiotics are needed for treatment, you cannot choose to buy them on your own.

Antibiotics are prescription drugs and can only be purchased and used with a doctor's prescription. Each type of antibiotic has its own sensitive bacteria and contraindications. If used improperly, it will not only fail to cure the disease, but may also lead to difficult-to-cure drug-resistant bacterial infections or serious adverse reactions.

It should be noted that allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinitis, nasal polyps, sinus cysts and other diseases or simple cold stimulation may cause runny nose. So if you have a runny nose for a long time, or your nasal discharge turns from clear to yellow, it is best to go to the hospital to see a doctor for a detailed examination and take medicine under the doctor's guidance.

To sum up, when you have a cold, you cannot judge the severity of the disease by whether the nasal discharge is clear or yellow. It is not recommended to use antibiotics without confirming that a bacterial infection has occurred. When antibiotics are needed, they can only be purchased and used with a doctor's prescription. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.