Coughing up pink mucus

Pink colour can occur when a trace of blood mixes with saliva or phlegm after repeated coughing. Inflamed airways from acute bronchitis or a common cold may do this. Reflux, asthma and allergic irritation can prolong coughing and make the throat tender. Bronchiectasis can cause recurring mucus that is streaked or tinted with blood.

Pink, frothy or increasing sputum together with breathlessness is more concerning than a single faint streak after throat irritation. Colour cannot establish the cause, so a clinician will consider your breathing, chest symptoms, recent illness and medicines.

Sit upright, rest and avoid smoke, vaping and strenuous exercise. Observe whether the colour changes, whether the mucus is frothy, and whether the amount is increasing. Record any fever, wheeze, chest pain or breathlessness.

Arrange prompt medical advice for new pink mucus, particularly if it returns or you have heart or lung disease. Do not stop prescribed medicines that affect clotting unless a clinician tells you to.

Call emergency services for sudden or severe breathlessness, pink frothy sputum, chest pain, fainting, confusion, blue lips or rapidly worsening symptoms. Emergency assessment is also appropriate when bleeding is more than a trace or does not stop.

Does this look like blood mixed with mucus or another type of fluid? Do I need my lungs and heart checked? Could my medicines contribute? What symptoms should send me straight to emergency care?