6 Most Common Causes of Chest Congestion

The build-up of mucus in your chest ruining your day? We feel you! Chest congestion is annoying and so difficult to get rid of. How would you recognize the symptoms of chest congestion? If you find out that you have a stubborn cough, then you are likely to have an acute chest congestion. It isn’t a life-threatening disorder, but yes, it can affect your quality of life. Also, it requires treatment right at the onset to stop it from going from acute to chronic. You can get chest congestion relief by following a few potent home remedies.

# Common Cold

Common colds are the number 1 reason for chest congestion. There are some of the common symptoms that may bother you besides congestion in the chest, they are a sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, persistent sneezing and coughing up large amounts of sputum.

# Allergies

There are many triggers that can set off allergies; such as pollen, dust, pet dander and so on. These triggers can set off some symptoms such as itchy and watery eyes, constant sneezing, wheezing and so on. This leads to chest congestion too.

# Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection which can affect your lungs. It is caused by virus, bacteria or fungus. You may experience flu-like symptoms at first, such as chest congestion, shortness of breath, coughing up green, yellow or bloody mucus, followed by fever, and chills.

# Bronchitis

Bronchitis is a condition which increases inflammation and swelling of the bronchial tubes. There are two kinds of bronchitis: one is acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term). Acute bronchitis is usually caused by a viral infection, its onset is sudden but it is usually resolved within a few weeks. Smoking causes chronic bronchitis, and this condition is usually irreversible. Of course, you can manage symptoms.

# Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB for short, is another bacterium-caused condition, it is also known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread from person-to-person via droplets in the air. You spot symptoms such as blood in your sputum, weakness, chest pain, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

# Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

CHF, or heart failure, is a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood and hence is unable to meet the requirements of the body. There are several symptoms that characterize CGH such as blood and fluid to back up into the lungs. There are also other symptoms of CHF such as extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and chest congestion.