Why could one cough up mucus with specks of blood?

Question

Hello doctor,

The last few weeks I have been coughing a lot. Multiple times a day I will gag and cough up mucus. Sometimes it is clear and sometimes it is green with red specks in which I assume is blood. I have a pressure on my chest so breathing can be hard.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read through your query and went through the attachment you sent (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Sometimes violent coughing can lead to specks of blood in sputum. You said that you have chest congestion and greenish sputum. That means you are suffering from upper respiratory tract infection. You need to take an antibiotic course. But if there is a recurrence of blood-tinged sputum you will need to get yourself assessed. CT chest should be done along with a sputum examination. Another factor to be taken into consideration is whether you smoke. I hope I was able to help. If you have any further questions please feel free to write.