Coughing up thick, green mucus may mean a bacterial or, less often, viral infection, but that's not always true. You ...

If your symptoms persist for more than 10 days If you experience difficulty breathing, develop a severe cough, notice thick ...

If your mucus is gray or black... …you likely inhaled dark-colored particles, like smoke from a fire or heavy exhaust. Regular smokers can also blow out darker mucus because of the tar or other toxic ...

A pink or reddish tint in mucus means there’s blood present. This often happens when the nasal tissues are irritated, dry or ...

If your symptoms persist for more than 10 days If you experience difficulty breathing, develop a severe cough, notice thick green or yellow mucus, run a fever, and/or feel extremely fatigued If ...

notice thick green or yellow mucus, run a fever, and/or feel extremely fatigued If your symptoms worsen instead of improve over time Additionally, if you think your chest congestion is chronic and ...

When to see a doctor about chest congestion According to Dr. Mercola, you should seek medical attention: If your symptoms persist for more than 10 days If you experience difficulty breathing, develop ...