Very thick mucus

[Ash123445]

hi all, so i have my specialist on monday about my low alpha 1 but lately i have been suffering with a lot of thick mucus. I think its because im still smoking, can a build up of mucus make you short of breath? Ive never really been told how mucus effects the airways

Thanks

[CraftyLego]

A build up of mucus on the lungs definitely can make you breathless. I am plagued by it daily. I drink lot's of none caffeinated drinks and water which thins it.

[Poobah]

Excess mucus definitely will affect breathing. Not only does it take up precious room in the airways, but it also gets in the way of the gas exchange in the lungs - so oxygen is reduced and more breaths are required. As you breath, the lungs pass gasses into and out of the blood stream and oxygen is necessary for the body to function - the blood stream carries that around the body.

And just as important is the waste product, carbon dioxide, which the blood stream takes back to the lungs in order to breath that out. So the function of gas exchange is necessary for the body to function well.

Definitely talk to your doctor about the increased mucus and your breathlessness so that they know that you're experiencing an increase in symptoms in addition to your Alpha 1.