A mucus plug in the lungs is a collection of condensed mucus that hasn’t been properly swept away by the cilia, or tiny hairs in the airways responsible for keeping mucus from overrunning the area. Mucus is a naturally present and usually healthy presence that clears dirt and pathogens from respiratory surfaces. However, in the case of mucus plugs, it can be dangerous and even life threatening when it turns into atelectasis, a condition in which the airways to the lungs become clogged.
Here are some of the most common causes of mucus plugs in the lungs.
Underlying Respiratory Disorders
While mucus plugs in a normal, healthy adult are rare, this is not so for people who suffer from cystic fibrosis, asthma, and similar diseases. In cystic fibrosis, where defective genes result in an overabundance of mucus and inability to keep passages clear anyway, mucus plugs can form more easily. This makes daily treatments even more important. Likewise, asthmatics, who face chronically inflamed airways that result in wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing, often face obstructed airways caused by excessive mucus formation.
Underlying Nervous System Diseases
Conversely, those with diseases of the spinal cord or other parts of the nervous system, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Lou Gehrig’s disease (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS), are endangered by mucus plugs in a different way. SMA is especially dangerous for small children. Once the mucus plug forms, the best and easiest way to get rid of it is simply to cough it up. However, in diseases that weaken the muscles of the chest, throat, and abdomen, weak coughs and the formation of a mucus plug make a deadly combination. In more serious cases of these disorders, the person may not be able to articulate their need for assistance, which means oxygen deprivation can reach dangerously low levels because of a clogged airway. There are many techniques available for caregivers to assist in producing an effective cough that may expel the mucus plug.
Surgery and Chronic Illness
Mucus plugs may also form during or following surgery, or while on long-term assistive care from a respiratory machine. Not only is it nearly impossible to cough during surgery to clear excess mucus, some surgical medications can result in lowered lung inflation. What was a normal amount of mucus suddenly becomes too much, because it can’t be properly cleared. Although health care professionals often use suction to remove excessive mucus during surgery, it may return in the following days. Some surgeries can leave the patient feeling much weaker than normal for a considerable amount of time, which may make it difficult to cough up the mucus.
