title: Mucus and mucins.
abstract: A variety of mucoactive medications are used to treat chronic lung disease. When evaluating the role of the cough, it must be considered as an important protective mechanism. Therefore, it may be more important to improve the effectiveness of cough than to suppress or eliminate a chronic cough in patients with chronic lung disease. This article discusses the composition of mucus and phlegm, the process of mucin secretion and mucus clearance, and reviews current therapy and mucolytics in use or being studied for mucus clearance disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. brubin@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Bruce K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D003371:Cough / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005100:Expectorants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009077:Mucins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009093:Mucus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012212:Rheology
chemical_list: D005100:Expectorants; D009077:Mucins