Generality
The boogers are the product of the drying of the nasal secretions which, initially fluid, congeal inside the cavities of the nose.
Usually, these dry mucus crusts are small in size and their consistency can vary from stringy to crumbly, depending on the degree of hydration.
The membranes that line the inside of the nose, in fact, constantly produce a viscous mucus, which maintains the right degree of humidity in the mucous membranes and favors the removal of dust and pathogens from the inhaled air.
Boogers are mainly composed of glycosylated proteins and salts dissolved in water, but they can also contain antiseptic enzymes and antibodies (immunoglobulins), which can represent a first barrier against infections.
The crusts of dry mucus are found mainly when you are affected by an "affection of the upper respiratory tract (cold), or when you live in a dry climate and come into contact with irritating external agents.
Caccole: What are they?
"Caccole" is the term commonly used to indicate the more or less dehydrated nasal mucus, which comes out of the nostrils.
Due to the aeration of the nasal duct and the humidity of the environment, in fact, the mucus loses most of the water it is made of, favoring the transition of the viscous secretion into the known friable and / or filamentous crusts.
Why are they formed?
The boogers are produced by the membranes that line the inside of the nose and the frontal and maxillary sinuses. More precisely, they derive from the drying of the nasal mucus secreted by special glands, called muciparous.
The function of the nasal mucus is twofold:
- Thanks to the continuous production, with its flow it coats and keeps humidified and lubricated the epithelial membranes of the airways;
- The viscous nature of the mucus allows it to block and capture the foreign bodies inhaled with the air, hindering their entry into the lungs and expelling them through mucociliary clearance, coughing and sneezing. The boogers therefore represent the result of the defense mechanism of the respiratory tract.
The production of mucus is continuous: normally, most of this secretion is made to flow - by the action of the cilia which the walls of the nasal cavity are equipped with - up to the pharynx, where it can be ingested and destroyed by stomach acids.
However, not all mucus remains so fluid as to be easily moved by the eyelashes: if this loses its share of water before completing its normal flow it remains in the nose, dries up, adheres to the nostrils and determines the formation of boogers.
- When, due to cold or irritation, the correct mucus disposal cycle is hindered, bacteria or viruses present in the upper respiratory tract can give rise to infections.The mucus affected by the attack and the consequent inflammatory response turns into phlegm and accumulates in the nasal cavities, obstructing them, resulting in symptoms such as "stuffy nose" or a fat cough.
If the mucus is present in the nasal vestibule in greater quantities than normal and is located near the opening of the nostrils, the intrinsic humidity of this material decreases due to the action of the external air and more likely it will congeal, giving rise to boogers. .
What are they for?
In addition to keeping the nasal cavity moist, mucus has the primary function of protecting the respiratory tract. Being very viscous, in fact, this secretion traps external agents (including irritants, allergens and pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses), preventing them from being inhaled. Sometimes, moreover, various types of dust present in the breathed air can be conglomerated in the mucus.
The boogers therefore result from the dehydration of the mucus and their main function is to free the nasal cavities from pollutants.
What they are made of
The boogers are made up of the secretions produced by the nasal mucosa, which congeal within the nostrils.
Their composition is relatively simple: it is a viscous water-based gel, in which glycoproteins, salts and lipids are present. During a respiratory tract disease, immunoglobulins (antibodies) and antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozyme, capable of damaging bacterial cells) can also be found inside the boogers, capable of representing a first barrier against infections.
The glycoproteins contained in the dry nasal mucus are complex proteins that include, within their structure, carbohydrates; the structural organization of these allows the formation of very strong molecular bonds, capable of trapping the particles. For this reason, boogers have their peculiar viscosity.
Possible causes
An excess of boogers or a change in their appearance (texture and color) can indicate the presence of various conditions.
An "increased production of boogers is found more frequently in the course of upper respiratory tract infections (eg cold, flu, etc.), allergic reactions or contact with irritants (dust, smoke, atmospheric dust or pollen). Other possible causes are very dry climate, low humidity environment, air pollution, excessive heating and air conditioning.
The formation of dry nasal mucus can also be found in cases of sinusitis, vasomotor rhinitis and problems with the turbinates.
Dry mucus crusts can also be caused by systemic diseases, such as Sjögren's syndrome, and by some drugs, particularly as a side effect of the abuse of nasal decongestants and antihistamines.
The boogers can also be found in the presence of atrophy of the mucus-secreting structures (ozena or chronic atrophic rhinitis). of annoying scabs, reduced sense of smell and bleeding (epistaxis).
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