coughed abit of blood worried

[tricia56]

Hi ive had a cold for the past few days and i also have copd i usaully have abit of a cough but it hasgot worse since ive got this cold but i noticed abit of blood on the tissue with the flem so now im worried it might be lung cancer

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Tricia,

Coughing a bit of blood can happen due to many reasons. It could just be irritation from coughing due to a cold. If you cough a bit hard it can happen or from repeated coughing.

You know you have a cold, a cold wouldn't have an impact on lung cancer whether to bring it on or escalate it. Cancer grows no matter what. So, doesn't it sound highly unlikely that such a coincidence would occur? Why would it only start showing up due to this cold?

Does all the coughing from a cold aggravate the COPD? If so, is it a bit of both maybe? (I don't know anything about COPD)

[tricia56]

Thks terry i have been coughing alot and i think a cold can aggrivate the copd, ive made a appointment with my gp for this afternoon as i got abit panicky about itm

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's perhaps just a minor blood vessel from the coughing, it happens. Others on here will tell you they've had the same issue when they had coughs & colds.

Little specs in mucus would say this to me anyway.

A quick grab from NHS Choices:

Common causes of coughing up blood
The most common reasons for coughing up blood are:
a prolonged, severe cough
a chest infection – this is more likely if your sputum is discoloured or contains pus, you have a fever, or you have a tight feeling in your chest
bronchiectasis – this is more likely if you're also wheezy or short of breath

Obviously as a smoker it can be more worrying but with you having a cold and coughing a lot, that's the most likely reason.

Lung cancer rarely presents itself in the early stages and for it to suddenly appear at the same time as a cold would be quite a coincidence and there would be other symptoms.

[karla]

I wouldnt worry too much, i have mild asthma and had quite a bad cough a few months ago and had some blood in my phlegm too. It was a dull red, almost brown and was caused by continued coughing. If the blood is bright red and continuous then i would get it checked out, but small flecks in phlegm is normal ( i was told by my doctor) when you have a chest infection/cough x

[Carnation]

The exactly the same thing has just happened to me.

I had a flu virus a month ago, which went on to my chest with a prolonged cough.
The coughing has got less over time, but I just coughed and some blood came up! :scared15:
It was bright red mixed with mucus. Panicking like crazy. :scared15:

[lucas91]

Some months ago i had a throat infection with a lot of dry coughing... at times i saw blood after spitting saliva that came to my mouth due to the cough

don't worry

[StephA]

I have this every time I get a cold. No worries!

[Carnation]

Thank you lucas and Steph.
I think these websites on Google can put the fear of God in to you with their diagnosis.
I've had this happen to me before, but because my anxiety is high, I just needed reassurance that it was not a medical emergency.
It's always a shock when this happens and when you least expect it.