What Excess Mucus and Coughing Can Mean for COPD Patients (2025)

Excess mucus can be caused by a wide range of factors such as respiratory infections and illnesses. Diseases that cause excessive mucus production include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis, and cystic fibrosis.

Sometimes called chronic mucus hypersecretion or chronic sputum production, excess mucus can usually be treated or managed with home remedies or medication.

This article discusses the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic mucus. It also looks at some potential treatments.

What Is Mucus?

Mucus is a thin liquid made of water, proteins, salts, cells, and cellular debris. It is produced in different organs throughout the body, such as the intestines and lungs.

Goblet cells, located in mucus membranes, secrete mucin (a component of mucus) to create a slick, protective barrier that protects our internal organs from foreign bacteria and other debris.

Causes of Excess Mucus

Mucus is produced by goblet cells. These cells are found in the body's mucous membranes.

Mucus serves an important purpose. It traps debris, irritants, and bacteria. Coughing clears these things from your lower respiratory tract.

In some cases, the cause may be an inability to cough up the excess. This can happen because of weakening of lung or throat muscles. Damage to cilia can also cause this. Cilia are the hairlike structures that push mucus up and out of your lungs.

Respiratory Issues

• Allergies: Allergens like pollen, pollution, or dander may be irritating. The body attempts to clear these substances by creating more mucus to cough up.
• Asthma: Asthma is associated with swelling and inflammation of the airways. This also results in mucus overproduction.
• Infection: Bronchitis is a viral infection in the lungs. When you have bronchitis, your immune system tries to trap the virus and remove it from the body. This may result in excess mucus production.
  
• COPD: Some patients withCOPDhave increased mucus production. This is because they have more goblet cells than people without COPD. They may also have oversized mucus glands in their airways. This overproduction results in achronic cough.Unfortunately, people with COPD may have difficulty clearing excess mucus. They may have an ineffective cough or other problems associated with theircondition.
• COVID-19: Most people with COVID symptoms experience a dry cough, but others can have lung congestion and cough up thick mucus.

Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis is a chronic (long-term) condition of the lungs. People with this condition have wider-than-normal airways that are prone to excess mucus build-up. This can put them at greater risk for lung infection. These infections can damage the lungs over time.

People with bronchiectasis have symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, and frequent lung infections. The condition is usually treated with medications that reduce inflammation and strategies to help prevent infections like vaccination and antibiotics.

With treatment, someone with bronchiectasis can expect to have a normal life expectancy. However, it is important to be evaluated by a healthcare provider as soon as possible, so you can start to receive treatment right away.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease associated with very thick, sticky mucus production. It affects the lungs and other organs like the pancreas. The sticky mucus makes it very hard to clear the airways in order to breathe.

The first signs of cystic fibrosis in adults and children can include a cough that produces thick mucus, breathlessness, and frequent infections. Children may also exhibit slower-than-expected growth. Other symptoms of cystic fibrosis may include:

• Wheezing
• Frequent stools that contain mucus
• Sinus problems
• Salty skin
  

Smoking and Pollution

Smoking and cigarette smoke exposure are the biggest factors in chronic excess mucus production. Cigarette smokerscan have both chronic bronchitis and limited airflow. Studies show that these people have an increased number of goblet cells and inflammatory cells in the airway.

Symptoms of Excessive Mucus

Severe mucus varies in how long it lasts and how severe it becomes. Some people may have excess mucus production with chronic bronchitis. This is defined as:

• The presence of a chronic, productive cough, in which you are coughing up mucus
• Producing mucus, also called sputum or phlegm, for at least three consecutive months in two consecutive years

Other people may have a temporary increase in mucus. This can happen with allergies or a viral infection.

Symptoms include:

• Sore or scratchy throat
• Feeling the need to cough
• Productive cough
  
• Nonproductive or dry cough
• Wheezing
• Trouble sleeping
• Congestion in the nasal passages and airways

Diagnosing the Cause of Excess Mucus

See your healthcare provider if you have a lingering productive cough or an increase in the amount or thickness of mucus.

Your doctor will ask you several questions about your cough and mucus levels. You may also be asked to provide a sputum sample. This is the best way to find out if your excess mucus has viral or bacterial causes.

To provide this sample, you'll simply cough up about a teaspoon of mucus into a clean cup. The sample is then sent to a lab for analysis.

Complications Related to Excess Mucus

A small amount of mucus every once in a while is normal. An increased amount of mucus buildup that lasts for a long time, however, may be cause for concern. An increase in mucus thickness or stickiness is also a sign you may need to see a doctor.

Over the long term, chronic mucus production can impact your health. It can damage airways and reduce lung function. This can limit your ability to be physically active. It can also decrease your overall quality of life.

In patients with COPD, too much mucus can increase the number of flare-ups, when symptoms increase. It may also increase the risk of respiratory-related death.

Treatments

The goal of treatment is to help you produce less mucus and clear more of it from your airways.

If you smoke, quitting can help clear up your cough. In fact, quitting smoking is the best way to improve many conditions, including chronic bronchitis and COPD.

Over-the-Counter Medications

Over-the-counter (OTC) products can help relieve mucus buildup. These include:

• Decongestants like Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) and Vicks Sinex (oxymetazoline). These medicines can help stop mucus production.
• Expectorants like Mucinex (guaifenesin). These help remove mucus from the respiratory tract. They work by increasing the water content of mucus. This makes it easier to cough up.

Home Remedies

If your condition isn't serious, you may prefer a more natural option. Consider these at-home solutions:

• Use a humidifier at night.
• Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your shower floor while you rinse off.
• Take honey as an anti-inflammatory cough suppressant.

Prescription Medications

If excess mucus is a chronic issue, talk to your doctor. Prescription treatments can also help.

For example, people with chronic bronchitis may use inhalers to ease airway swelling and open the airways. Oral prednisone is also prescribed for chronic bronchitis.

Physical Treatments

Physical treatments for excess mucus may also be helpful. These include:

• Chest physical therapy, usually performed by physical therapists or respiratory therapists, uses techniques and devices to help cough up mucus from the lungs. Applying vibration or percussion (force) to the area of the lungs might be used.
• Airway clearance devices

Summary

Excess mucus has many potential causes. They can be long- or short-term.

Conditions that can contribute to excess mucus include allergies, asthma, and bronchitis. Smoking and conditions like COPD and cystic fibrosis can also cause this symptom.

Your doctor may order a sputum test to find the cause of your excess mucus. Treatment may include over-the-counter medicines or prescription medications like inhalers.You may also find some home remedies helpful. In some cases, physical remedies like airway clearance devices may also help.