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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is Causing Mucus Buildup In Chest With Difficulty In Breathing?

38 year old male 6 ft 4 280 pounds. Been smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day for 20 years now. For the past 8 months I have difficulty getting a deep breath. At least 20 times a day I struggle pulling mucus from my chest and spitting it out then I feel I can breath a little better but it doesn t last long. My mucus is typically white and yellow and sometimes Brown. Also for the last 2 months I feel tired all the time no matter how much sleep I get. Also winded very quickly and feel heaviness in my chest. What s wrong with me?
Tue, 10 Mar 2015
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Pulmonologist,  's  Response
Hello dear, thanks for your question on HCM.
I can understand your situation and problem.
In my opinion you are having COPD ( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ).
It is chronic, progressive , inflammatory disease of lungs caused by cigarette smoking.
The smoke actually irritates and cause chronic inflammatory changes in the airways.
These cause narrowing of the airways, so this cause breathlessness. And inflammatory edema cause mucus expectations.
So better to consult pulmonologist and get done
1. Clinical examination of respiratory system.
2. Chest x ray.
3. PFT ( pulmonary function test ).
Chest x ray is needed to rule out lung infection.
PFT is needed for the diagnosis of COPD.
This will also tell you about severity of the disease.
And treatment of COPD is based on severity only.
You may need inhaled bronchodilators.
But smoking cessation is tge most important step.
So quit smoking as soon as possible and consult pulmonologist and start appropriate treatment.
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What Is Causing Mucus Buildup In Chest With Difficulty In Breathing?

Hello dear, thanks for your question on HCM. I can understand your situation and problem. In my opinion you are having COPD ( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ). It is chronic, progressive , inflammatory disease of lungs caused by cigarette smoking. The smoke actually irritates and cause chronic inflammatory changes in the airways. These cause narrowing of the airways, so this cause breathlessness. And inflammatory edema cause mucus expectations. So better to consult pulmonologist and get done 1. Clinical examination of respiratory system. 2. Chest x ray. 3. PFT ( pulmonary function test ). Chest x ray is needed to rule out lung infection. PFT is needed for the diagnosis of COPD. This will also tell you about severity of the disease. And treatment of COPD is based on severity only. You may need inhaled bronchodilators. But smoking cessation is tge most important step. So quit smoking as soon as possible and consult pulmonologist and start appropriate treatment.