Question: Hi, Today I noticed blood in my phlegm? Can you tell me causes of blood in phlegm?
Answer: There is nothing more alarming than seeing your seemingly ordinary phlegm lazed with blood. There are several reasons for having phlegm tinged with blood; they can go from simple causes such as nosebleed to serious health and medical conditions. Mostly the causes of blood in phlegm include the following:
Causes of Blood in Phlegm
- Bleeding along the respiratory tract and respiratory infections such as strep throat and allergies or irritation in the upper respiratory system.
- Respiratory or chronic lung conditions such as bronchitis, asthma, lung and cystic fibrosis, pulmonary diseases, tuberculosis, ruptured blood vessels, bacterial and fungal lung infection and lung abscess.
- Heart diseases and cardiovascular conditions such as congestive heart failure.
- One of the major causes of bloody phlegm is lung cancer. Noticeably, the phlegm of a person with lung cancer is very thick with blood in it and the phlegm prevents air passage and therefore causes difficulty in breathing while coughing up.
- Side effects of medication
- Blood condition such as hemophilia
Home Remedies for Coughing Blood in Phlegm or Mucus
A person should immediately see a doctor when the coughing of phlegm with blood is coupled with dizziness and nausea, extreme shortness of breath, more than a few teaspoons of blood, chest pain, fever and blood in the stool or urine.
- Drink plenty of water to normally flush the phlegm out.
- The blood on your phlegm is probably due to respiratory wounds and lacerations due to your constant natural effort cough out phlegm. To soothe your respiratory tract dryness and irritation, drink a glass of warm milk with honey at least twice a day, preferably one in the morning and another glass before you sleep at night.
- Get two tablespoons of honey and mix it with equal amount of grape juice. Take this simple mixture three times a day for five consecutive days to expel and soften mucus.
- If you are a smoker, total cessation from cigarette smoking will help you a lot in terms of strengthening your immune system and quick recovery.
- Get enough bed rest. Sleeping will allow your body to heal itself.