What should you know about blood spot in sputum?

A spot may be bright red, brownish, or mixed into clear or coloured mucus. Dry air, throat irritation, nosebleeds, and a forceful cough can add a small amount of blood. Acute bronchitis and pneumonia may cause sputum with blood alongside cough and fever. Bronchiectasis and COPD can also present with blood in sputum. The appearance is useful information, but it cannot confirm the cause on its own.

Write down when you noticed the spot and whether it followed coughing, nose irritation, or vomiting. Photographing the sputum can help if the finding is brief. Avoid smoking and seek advice if the cough continues, blood returns, or you develop fever, chest pain, wheeze, or breathlessness. Use prescribed inhalers as directed, and do not use someone else’s antibiotics or cough medicine.

Get emergency help if bleeding is more than a small spot, does not stop, or comes with severe breathing difficulty, blue lips, fainting, confusion, or sudden chest pain. Arrange prompt assessment if you use anticoagulants, have a chronic lung condition, or feel increasingly unwell. A clinician may need to examine your airways and decide whether further tests are appropriate.

Could the spot have come from my nose, mouth, or throat? What features make a chest infection more likely? Do my medicines affect bleeding? Should I provide a sputum sample or arrange imaging?