Does snot color indicate anything?
—Anonymous
When your child has (or you have) a cold, nasal discharge or mucus (snot) is common. Typically, at the start of the cold, it is clear or white, and it often becomes more yellow or even greenish as the cold goes on. Some parents worry that this green or yellow discharge is the sign of a bacterial infection, which might need antibiotic treatment. It is not.
Signs that a cold might have progressed to a bacterial infection are continued fever, feeling worse, dehydration, and not getting better. These could be accompanied by green mucus, but it’s the not-getting-better symptoms that you want to be attuned to.
Other possible colors:
- Red: some kind of abrasions in the nose that are bleeding
- Brown: dirt, either inhaled or put in there by a finger
- Black: soot — more common if you’ve been exposed to a lot of pollution or smoke
Black mucus would be a concern, but, again, it’s the activities that cause the black mucus that you’d be worried about.
Anything other than these (say, bright blue) is something to call the doctor about. More than likely, it would mean something in the nose you would want to take care of.
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