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Why do I pass blood in the cough for the past three days?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I saw a blood streak while coughing into a tissue in the morning for the past three days, occurring only in the morning. I had a cold, but now I have just been coughing for the past 10 days. Please tell me if the blood I see is something to worry about or not. Also, I would like to know what to do about my cough.

Thank you.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have mentioned that you have a blood streak while coughing and only in the morning. You have also mentioned that you have a cold. There are many possibilities as to what caused the blood streak with your cough. As you have been suffering from a cough, it is highly probable that you might be coughing hard to expel the phlegm in the morning due to more accumulation during the night.

During the day, you might be coughing periodically, and a light cough would expel the phlegm. Coughing too hard causes minor tears in the pharyngeal lining and a small bleed may occur. This is most likely the case with you. And I assure you that it is a simple issue that will resolve spontaneously. This kind of bleeding does not require any treatment.

For the cough I suggest you take :

  • Ambrodil-S Syrup: two teaspoonfuls three times daily after food, for a week.
  • Ambrodil-S is a mucolytic agent, which means that it helps to loosen and clear the mucus from your bronchial tract.
  • Tablet Limcee 500: One tablet twice daily for 15 days. Limcee is a Vitamin C supplement. It will boost your immunity and help with early recovery.
  • Gargle twice daily with warm salt water (a half teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water). This is a very important step and it should be practiced whenever you have a cold.

I thought I would mention that another common cause for blood in the sputum is tuberculosis, but it is highly unlikely in your case. If you want to be tested, you can visit any hospital and have a sputum test done (Ziehl-Neelsen sputum test). You will need to submit two sputum samples to the laboratory. But I would fully expect this situation to clear up soon after following my suggestions, which I would advise you to try first.

If this situation persists, then you may want to look into further testing, including possibly a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. I wish you an early and speedy recovery.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Medically reviewed byiCliniq medical review team

Published At February 27, 2015
Reviewed AtFebruary 9, 2026

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