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Blood-streaked sputum –an indicator of possible inflammation of the throat (larynx and/or trachea) or bronchi; lung cancer; other bleeding erosions, ulcers, or tumors of the lower airway. Pink sputum – it indicates sputum evenly mixed with blood from alveoli and/or small peripheral bronchi as is seen in potential pulmonary edema.
Purulent or suppurative exudate consists of plasma with both active and dead neutrophils, fibrinogen, and necrotic parenchymal cells. This kind of exudate is consistent with more severe infections, and is commonly referred to as pus. Fibrinous exudate is composed mainly of fibrinogen and fibrin.
Mucopurulent discharge is the emission or secretion of fluid containing mucus and pus (muco-pertaining to mucus and purulent pertaining to pus) from the eye, nose, cervix, vagina or other part of the body due to infection and inflammation. Types include:
The primary symptom is a cough with sputum that may be purulent.The illness may also cause shortness of breath or wheezing. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) often precede acute bronchitis, with overlapping symptoms including headache, nasal congestion, and sore throat.
The characteristic increased sputum produced can give problems in the removal of the tracheal tube (extubation). In the course of cystic fibrosis the lungs are affected. Thickened mucus secretions block the airways making infection possible. The recurrence of tracheobronchitis presents a major problem. [6]
Blood-laced mucus from the sinus or nose area can sometimes be misidentified as symptomatic of hemoptysis (such secretions can be a sign of nasal or sinus cancer, but also a sinus infection). Extensive non-respiratory injury can also cause one to cough up blood. Cardiac causes like congestive heart failure and mitral stenosis should be ruled ...
However, some researchers argue that the flow of mucus down the back of the throat from the nasal cavity is a normal physiologic process that occurs in all healthy individuals. [1] Some researchers challenge post-nasal drip as a syndrome and instead view it as a symptom, also taking into account variation across different societies.
Frequently medical sources do not differentiate between the two types of discharge, instead using the general term mucopurulent discharge, which, strictly speaking, should only be used to refer to a discharge that contains both mucus and pus. Purulent discharges may be blood-streaked. [citation needed]