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What Causes Chest Congestion?

Chest congestion is a symptom of illnesses and chronic infections that causes too much mucus to build up in your lungs and makes breathing painful and difficult. The causes of chest congestion include viral, bacterial and fungal infections of your upper respiratory system, some of which are common and others that are rare in otherwise healthy people. Consider this information from the Mayo Clinic and Centers for Disease Control about what causes chest congestion.

  1. Colds

    • The common cold can cause you to develop copious amounts of mucus, which may cause congestion in your chest and nose that lasts for several weeks.

    Sinusitis

    • Sinusitis is an inflammation of your sinuses and may be acute or chronic; mucus that develops from sinusitis may cause chest and nasal congestion.

    Croup

    • Croup is a cause of chest congestion that may affect your children, and can cause other symptoms including a barking cough and extreme difficulty with breathing.

    Bronchitis

    • Bronchitis is an inflammation of your bronchial tubes and causes you to produce large amounts of mucus that results in chest congestion, sinus pressure sore throat and trouble breathing.

    Pneumonia

    • Pneumonia can be caused by bacterial or viral infections and causes symptoms including chest and nasal congestion, fever, difficulty breathing and extreme fatigue.

    Tuberculosis

    • If you have an active infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, you may experience serious chest congestion, cough and difficulty breathing.

    PCP

    • Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a fungal infection that commonly occurs in people with AIDS, and can cause serious chest congestion and heart failure.

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