Sputum is produced when lungs are damaged or diseased. Sputum can provide a number of clues about a patient’s health. It is difficult to assess the amount of sputum produced in a day but there are a few clinical values which serve as averages for the volume of sputum produced for different respiratory conditions.
There are also many terms to describe the sputum – mucoid, purulent, mucopurulent, frothy, viscous or blood stained – each of which has its own clinical significance.
A review of the available literature does not implicate any particular time of the day as affecting the volume sputum production as it varies amongst patients with respiratory diseases of various etiology. In fact, once it is acknowledged that the patient has a cough, adequate information about its characteristics and circumstances can be obtained by appropriate questioning. Some questions include; What are the precipitating or aggravating factors? What time of the day or night is the cough or sputum production worse? Does it happen in supine position, upon arising in the morning, with drinking or eating, with exercise, or with breathing cold or dry air? Does the cough awaken the patient from sleep? etc.
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