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masklinn t1_j32iffy wrote

Reply to comment by --_pancakes_-- in Where does all of the snot come from when you have a cold? by Dunkachin0

We're getting outside of my meagre knowledge so hopefully a 'doc or other biology-inclined specialist will swing by. I know that in e.g. the lungs it's the only way to evacuate junk (e.g. dead viruses and immune cells), but for the nose I don't know if it's functional or if it's just a side-effect of the inflammation of the mucosa which is not deadly enough to get weeded out by natural selection.

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Naive_Piglet_III t1_j32tqpo wrote

I remember talking to a medical student who explained that it also acts as a first line of defence. It has the ability to bind potential parasites in the nasal region where they potentially get killed by specific immune cells or are expelled via cough / sneeze.

Some virus (most common cold) have also evolved to survive this which is why you catch a cold if someone sneezes on you.

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3chzpizza4brkfast t1_j35nd6q wrote

RN here. Mucous is secreted when your immune system detects a pathogen (virus or bacteria) and WBCs among other immune cells make up mucous therefore engulfing it and killing it or blowing it out your nose

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Spider-Ian t1_j35sbdw wrote

Do you know anything about sinus infections? Like why is the mucus such a different texture? And why does it keep building back up after it's emptied for like a week?

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