Increased sputum production

What it means

An increase in the amount of airway mucus. This feature may be characterized by frequent or excessive throat clearing (exhalation through tightly constricted laryngopharyngeal tissues accompanied by vibration of the palatoglossal arch and the vocal folds serving to clear mucus from the airway).

If excessive sputum production is manifested by frequent and often involuntary coughing, the HPO term Productive cough should be used.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category