In the morning, bloody mucus in the throat.
April 13, 2012 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Kathrin Hamann
Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to seek your advice on the following matter:
For about a week now, I have been experiencing a slight cough and an excessive amount of mucus in my throat in the morning. This mucus persists throughout the day and is usually clear and viscous. However, in the morning there is almost always some blood (drops and small traces, not a large amount) in this mucus. I feel like this blood is coming from the throat area, but a examination by an ENT specialist revealed no results other than some noticeable veins on the epiglottis.
What could be the cause of these symptoms? I find it strange that aside from the mucus in my throat, I am symptom-free during the day.
Thank you in advance!
Good morning,
With such an infection, the mucous membranes are very irritated and well-perfused. This can cause tiny superficial blood vessels to burst when clearing your throat or coughing. This often goes unnoticed, as the vessel quickly closes and the bleeding is often swallowed.
At night, mucus collects, trapping the blood within. When you spit out or blow your nose in the morning, the blood becomes visible.
However, if fresh blood threads occur when coughing, which happens consistently, this is called hemoptysis and should be further investigated and clarified.
If there is blood in the cough, it is called hemoptoe, which is a medical emergency as blood in the bronchial system can lead to suffocation quickly (100ml is enough).
But if you have a collection of mucus with individual blood threads in the morning, this is not a cause for concern and not suspicious of a tumor. It can be explained by the existing infection.
All the best,
Kind regards,
Dr. K. Hamann
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