What Is The Causes For Excessive And Salty Sputum?

Posted on Mon, 24 Dec 2012

Question: My mom coughs up alot of thick and very salty mucus. What can that be from?

Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX,
Welcome to healthcare magic!
Causes for excessive and salty sputum are many.
Salty taste is an inherent nature of sputum and really not a problem itself.
Copious sputum production can be due to allergic problems like bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis or COPD if the problem is chronic and persistent.
It can be due to pneumonia or Hyperreactive airways if it is recent and very intermittent in occurrence.
You need a thorogh examination and investigations to find out exact cause and then treatment can be streamlined.
I hope you would get benefitted from my advise.
Wish you a good health.

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar