Color of discharge from the nose: yellow to black

The shade, the color of the discharge from the nose can be considered a specific diagnostic sign that allows you to quickly assume the nature, stage of inflammation and its nature - bacterial or viral. The norm is transparent, not color-coded, slime. If the mukonasal secret acquires an uncharacteristic shade - greenish or yellow, you should consult a specialist and begin an adequate treatment. The color of the discharge from the nose is a signal that the body has entered into a "fight", sending to the zone of introduction of the virus or bacteria, leukocytes, mucin and other active, protective cells, substances.

What is indicated by the color of the nasal secretions:

White nasal secret	The initial or final stage of the inflammatory process, edema of the nasal cavity. Irritation of the nasal mucosa. Allergy to dairy products. Dehydration of the body. Acid reflux. Viral inflammation. One of the signs of candidiasis.
Yellow shade of mucus	Completion of the inflammatory process, accompanied by a runny nose (2-3 days - the norm). After 3 days, if the runny nose continues to turn yellow, this is a sign of a developed bacterial infection. Symptom of purulent mucus consistency. The onset of inflammation of the maxillary sinuses. Sinusitis. Allergies to microorganisms in dust and feathers.
Brown discharge from nose	Contaminated inhaled air, dust. Tobacco smoking. Chronical bronchitis. Long-term use of vasoconstrictive drugs. High blood pressure. Symptom of oncoprocess. Mycosis of the nasal cavity. Ozena. The yellowish-brown color of mucus is a sign of sinusitis. Laryngitis, pharyngitis in acute form.
Green rhinitis	The second stage of inflammation of the nasal mucosa. A sign of a bacterial, viral infection. Chronic bronchitis, pneumonia.
Red color of discharge from the nose	Weak, vulnerable walls of blood vessels, capillaries, mechanical damage to the nose. One of the signs of diphtheritic rhinitis. Dryness of the mucous tissue, draining due to the abuse of vasoconstrictive drops.
Black mucus from the nose	Pollution of the surrounding air, inhalation of coal dust. Gray-black shade of mucus indicates a fungal infection of the nasal mucosa.

Thus, the color of the secretions is an indirect diagnostic sign, which should be taken into account in the analysis of the clinical picture of the disease.

Yellow discharge from nose

In the mucous tissue of the nasal cavity is a lot of glands, which secrete mucus every day. The change in the normal color of the muconasal secretion is always associated with some kind of inflammation. Yellow discharge from the nose is a sign of a protracted process of viral or bacterial etiology.

The mechanism of the appearance of mucus, painted in yellow:

• Leukocytes, granulocytes (neutrophils) protect the cavity from harmful microorganisms, viruses.
• Protector cells of blood rush to fight with a bacterial, viral infection, destroy the pathogens of inflammation.
• The dead microorganisms are "connected" with blood cells and are taken out.
• The degradation products of molecules, both protective cells and bacteria, give the yellow color of excreted mucus.

It is believed that the yellow discharge from the nose - this is a sure sign of the ending of the common cold. However, such a signal does not always indicate the completion of inflammation.

More than 50% of cases of the common cold do not end within 8-10 days and are accompanied by such clinical manifestations:

• Raise body temperature to 38-39 degrees.
• Symptoms of general intoxication - lack of appetite, weakness, nausea.
• Attachment to yellow mucous secretions of conjunctivitis.
• Painful symptoms - headache, throat.
• Mucous nasopharynx swells.
• Allocations have a specific unpleasant odor.
• The sensitivity to smells and taste decreases.

If the runny nose of the yellow color does not end with a safe outcome on the 9-10th day, the condition may worsen. The reasons for the development of the process are as follows:

• The front is developing .
• Yellow discharge from the nose - a sign of catarrhal sinusitis.
• The yellow color of mucus may be a symptom of sinusitis.
• A thick, viscous secret of yellow color is one of the signs of internal rhinitis ( rhinopharyngitis ).

Conditions in the clinical picture similar to the above diseases, need medical attention. After the passage of drug therapy, secretions can change the color, consistency (clear and more fluid). This is evidence of the effectiveness of treatment and a signal about the recovery that has begun.

Green discharge from the nose

The mucosal tissue of the nose is very sensitive to irritants and especially to the intrusion of harmful infectious agents. Depending on the type of pathogen of inflammation, from the stage of the process, the mucosa produces a mucus of a specific consistency and color. The rhinitis can be white, transparent, gray-green, yellow, reddish shade. Green discharge from the nose, more dense and viscous - a signal to produce purulent contents and the advanced stage of the disease. How can one distinguish green discharge from the nose according to the factors provoking them?

• Vasomotor view of rhinitis  - liquid contents, serous consistency with a slight, hardly noticeable, greenish tinge in the stage of exacerbation.
• Allergic rhinitis - mucus is abundant, transparent, green color can be when you combine allergies with ARVI, other chronic diseases. This indicates an acute form of inflammation in the ENT organs, less often in the digestive tract or bronchopulmonary system.
• Bacterial infection of the nasopharynx - there is always an unpleasant smell, the color of the mucus is characterized by a green tint, the secret secret is dense, leaving clots.

Discharge from the nose of green color should not be considered a minor malaise. Quite often this condition is a sign of a decreased immune defense and carries the risk of spreading the infection to nearby zones of the respiratory system. With weak, weak cellular immunity, toxins easily enter the bloodstream through a fragile system of capillaries, the mucous membrane of the nose, provoking an inflammatory intoxication syndrome. In general, the slimy secret of the greenish shade is not dangerous, but requiring attention, a symptom. If the runny nose lasts only 7-10 days, mucus actively departs, this indicates the awakening of immunity, in particular specific cells - neutrophils (killers), which began to neutralize pathogenic microorganisms.

White discharge from the nose

The color and density of mucosal muconasal contents may indirectly indicate the etiology of the inflammatory process and its stage. White discharge from the nose most often indicates the dryness of the mucous tissue, the lack of moisture and the possible infection of the nasopharynx. Let us consider in detail the most common types of white mucus in the ENT-practice.

1. White discharge from the nose of a liquid consistency:
   • Allergic reaction.
   • The initial stage of the formation of polyps in the nose.
   • Smaller sizes of lymphatic growth in the nasopharynx - adenoids.
   • The final stage of measles.
   • The beginning of caries, the first signs of bacterial infection of the mouth as a whole.
2. White slime thick consistency:
   • Sinusitis.
   • Sinusitis in the initial stage.
   • Frontite.
   • The final stage of viral inflammation.
3.  White curdled discharge:
   • Fungal infection of the nasal cavity, pharynx.
4. Copious white slime:
   • One of the signs of a protracted inflammatory process in the bronchi, lungs.

The temporary norm for a nasal secretion of this shade is 3-4 days. A longer period of white discharge is an alarm signal.

When the combination of a white rhinitis and other uncomfortable conditions - arthritis in the joints, fever, headache, you should undergo an ENT examination, take tests and start antibacterial or antiviral therapy of the identified cause.

Brown discharge from nose

Untypical color of the mukonasal contents of the nose requires careful attention, clarification of the cause and its neutralization. Brown discharge from the nose is rare and can signal such diseases and conditions:

• Nicotine addiction, smoking.
• Pollution of the ambient air by specific substances having a brown color (industrial exhaust, dust, small crumb, microparticles).
• Consequences of latent nasal bleeding (internal, when mucus stains in the color of blood decay products).
• Sensitivity, fragility of the capillaries of the nasal mucosa. Blood seeps through them, hemoglobin undergoes transformation when combined with air in the nasal cavity and stains the mucus in a brown hue.
• Pathological curvature of the septum of the nose, squeezing of the mucous membrane and capillaries, as a result - constant bleeding.
• Bleeding, associated with hypertension, high blood pressure (internal nasal small hemorrhages).
• Chronic avitaminosis, lack of essential trace elements.
• Running purulent process in the nasopharynx. Brown discharge from the nose is the excretion of the products of the decay of bacteria of a certain type.
• Complication of the inflammatory process in the bronchi or lungs.
• Inflammation of the sinuses in the acute form with bleeding.
• Chronic, prolonged sinusitis, frontal.
• Prolonged sinusitis, chronic form.
• Secondary atrophic rhinitis.
• Odontogenic factors - caries, stomatitis, periodontitis.

In general, brown shade is evidence of poor drainage function of the nasal canals and the disintegration of blood cells. Less often this color is given by a bacterial infection. A prolonged runny nose with brownish mucus carries the risk of developing a more serious process, including anemia due to persistent small bleeding. If the allocation of this nature lasts more than 1-2 days, without consulting an ENT doctor is indispensable. It is necessary to carefully examine and eliminate the cause of atypical rhinitis.

Black discharge from the nose

One of the most rare and simultaneously disturbing symptoms is black discharge from the nose. If a transparent nasal secret, mucus greenish, yellow color is often found in various colds, then the black color of the secreted fluid is a characteristic clinical sign of a protracted pathological process. The reasons for the formation of black discharge from the nose are divided into two categories:

1. Household factors not related to diseases:
   • Coal, building dust, pollution of the surrounding atmosphere. The professional costs of some types of work can affect the color of the nasal fluid.
   • Inhalation of tobacco smoke. Because of the impaired drainage function, the mucus that collects smoke particles can accumulate in the nose. Rare, scanty discharge, often dry, have an uncharacteristic dark color.
2. Pathological factors:
   1. Staphylococcal infection of the nasopharynx. Slime usually includes veins of black color.
   2. Fungal diseases of the nasal cavity.
   3. Extremely neglected form of sinusitis.

To clarify the cause of black discharge from the nose, it is necessary to exclude the simplest provoking factors (dirt, dust). If a person is not in the contaminated air zone and the mucous fluid has an atypical color, it is necessary to consult a specialist and have an examination of all ENT organs. Timely diagnosis is the best way to minimize the risk of developing serious diseases.

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Orange discharge from the nose

Normally, the excretory system of the nasopharynx produces a transparent muconasal fluid. Changing the color, density and volume, nasal secretions perform a protective, antiseptic function, simultaneously signaling a particular stage of the disease. Orange discharge from the nose is also an indirect indicator of the specific condition of the mucous tissue and is provoked by such causes:

• Prolonged inflammatory process, as a rule, bacterial genesis.
• Presence in the mucous secret of purulent contents.
• An orange shade can give the combination and reaction to each other of purulent elements and impurities of blood.
• Difficult outflow of purulent mucus, chronic congestion in the sinuses of the nose. Yellow-orange discharge from the nose signals the presence in the composition of the decay products of many bacteria, most often the staphylococcal group.
• An uncommon shade can be a sign of chronic internal hemorrhage and, at the same time, inflammation of the viral etiology, when accumulated mucus with splashes of blood does not depart a long time.
• Excessive enthusiasm for warming up the nose. Uncontrolled self-medication can cause the color of the rhinitis to change to an orange tinge. When heated, the color of stagnant pus may change.
• The orange color of the cold in some cases is a symptom of a fungal lesion of the mucous tissue of the nasopharynx.
• Odontogenic factors, dental diseases also provoke a change in the color of mucus towards yellow-orange color.

The color spectrum of excreted mucus is considered one of the clinical criteria that helps in diagnosing the underlying, provoking rhinitis, disease. A non-standard shade of the common cold should alert the person, especially if it is a mucous secret of the child. It is necessary to find out the cause as soon as possible, undergo a comprehensive examination, start an adequate treatment of the disease identified.

Gray discharge from the nose

The color of the nasal liquid depends on the processes occurring in the respiratory system. A shade of the common cold can attach to such inclusions:

• Extracellular malicious agents are viruses.
• Prokaryotes are bacteria.
• Eukaryotes are fungi.
• Cells of epithelial tissue of the nasopharynx (detritus).
• Some types of immune cells.
• Particles of blood elements (plasma).
• Bloody bodies, particles of blood.
• Microscopic elements of inhaled air.

Gray discharge from the nose is a clear indication of the unhealthy state of the body as a whole, even if the cause of this shade of mucus is associated with a polluted environment. Usually, the mukonasal secretion and local immune defense are able to process dust particles in the form of a thick, viscous, whitish-colored rhinitis. The grayness of discharge is a signal about possible pathologies, among which we note the following diseases:

• Diphtheria rhinitis has specific symptoms (mucosal ulceration, swelling, plaques) which include gray discharge from the nose. In contrast to defeat with a stick of pharynx, diphtheria of the nose proceeds more easily, nevertheless it remains among life-threatening diseases.
• Gray color nasal exudate can give staphylococci. The infection caused by Staphylococcus is treated long and complexly. Its first manifestations should prompt a person to immediately consult a doctor and stop the pathological process.
• Gray discharge from the nose in combination with an unpleasant odor may indicate a latent oncoprotein in the ENT organs.
• Cough and sputum smokers are also characterized by a grayish tinge of mucus, like nasal mucus. Rejection of the addiction to the bronchopulmonary system will restore the ability to breathe normally and neutralize the risk of cancer.
• Infection of the nasopharynx caused by anaerobic pathogenic agents ( Klebsiella, proteus myxofaciens), can be manifested by gray mucous secretions.
• Sinusitis in the stage of blockage of outflow and accumulation of purulent contents. Coryza usually lean, has a characteristic putrefactive smell and a yellow-gray hue.

Define and diagnose exudate flowers can only be an experienced specialist, so at the initial stage of atypical mucus it is worthwhile to visit a doctor and begin treatment.