fell into a fit of catarrh?

[KuaiLe]

Dear Teachers,

I read this from p.239 of Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire:

"He gasped and fell into a fit of catarrh. 'Villain,' he said."

My dictionary says catarrh is "inflammation of a mucous membrane". What does it mean by "fell into a fit of catarrh"?

[Tdol]

Coughing perhaps or spluttering with anger.