Coughing up blood (Hemoptysis) Types, Causes, and Treatment
Many problems can cause this symptom, ranging from throat irritation to lung cancer. While coughing up blood is not a symptom to ignore, most cases are mild and not severe.
This can irritate the airways and possibly cause them to cough up blood when a person has a respiratory infection or a heavy cough.
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Get A Second OpinionTypes of coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
- Dry cough
- Wet cough
- Whooping cough
- Burning Cough
- Serious Cough
What are the Causes of Blood in Cough?
- Bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis is usually behind the appearance of blood. The condition involves persistent or recurrent inflammation of the airways, coughing, and sputum production.
- Bronchiectasis: describes a permanent enlargement of parts of the airways in the lungs. It can also occur with an infection, shortness of breath, and wheezing.
- Prolonged or severe cough: This can irritate the upper respiratory tract and tear the blood vessels.
- Anticoagulants: These drugs stop the blood from coagulating.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): COPD is a permanent blockage of the airflow in the lungs. It usually causes shortness of breath, coughing, sputum production, and wheezing.
- Pneumonia: Bloody sputum may cause this and other lung infections.Inflammation of the lung tissue, typically brought on by a bacterial infection, is the hallmark of pneumonia. . People with pneumonia appear to have chest pain, exhaustion, fever, sweating, and chills while breathing or coughing.
- Pulmonary embolism: It refers to a blood clot in an artery in a lung. It usually causes sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.
- Pulmonary edema describes fluid in the lungs. It is more common in people with heart conditions and causes pink, frothy sputum and severe shortness of breath, sometimes with chest pain.
- Lung cancer: A person is more likely to get lung cancer if they are over 40 and smoke tobacco. It can cause a cough that doesn't go away, shortness of breath, chest pain, and sometimes bone pain or headaches.
- Neck cancer: usually starts in the larynx, trachea, or throat. It can result in a red or white area in the mouth, persistent sore throat, and swelling or soreness that does not go away.
- Cystic fibrosis: This inherited condition seriously damages the lungs. It usually causes shortness of breath and a persistent cough with thick mucus.
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis: This explains the inflammation of the kidneys, lungs, and sinuses' blood vessels. Usually caused symptoms include fever, wheezing, runny nose, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath.
- Tuberculosis: This serious lung infection is caused by a bacterium. It can cause fever, sweating, chest pain, pain when breathing or coughing, and a persistent cough.
- Narrow heart valves: A narrowing of the mitral valve of the heart, called stenosis of the mitral valve, may cause shortness of breath, particularly during exertion or when lying down. Other symptoms include swollen feet or legs and heart palpitations or exhaustion, especially with increased physical activity.
- A severe injury: Chest trauma may cause blood to appear within the sputum.
Other causes include:
- Congestive heart failure, mainly due to mitral stenosis
- Use of crack cocaine
- Foreign objects in your airways
- Inflammatory or autoimmune disease
- Lung Abscess
- Non-cancerous lung tumours
- Parasitic infection
- Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (AVM)
- An injury such as a gunshot wound or a car accident
- Use of blood thinners (anticoagulants)
- Endometriosis
- Hughes-Stovin syndrome
- Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
- Sarcoidosis
How is Coughing up Blood Diagnosed?
Since bloody coughing can range in severity from mild to severe, it's critical to identify the underlying source of your symptoms so that you can get the proper care.
Before starting an examination, your doctor will inquire about the amount of blood you have been coughing up and whether any of it is mixed with mucus.
The following tests can be performed:
- A chest computed tomography (CT) scan
- Chest X-ray to look for tumours or fluid in the lungs.
- Lung exploration biopsy.
- A bronchoscopy is performed to check if the airway is clear.
- Blood count
- A sputum culture of lung excretions to look for infection.
- Blood coagulation test.
- Pulmonary arteriography to see how blood is flowing through your lungs.
- Urinalysis
What are the Treatments for Coughing up Blood (hemoptysis)?
The treatments aim to stop the bleeding and treat the underlying cause. Possible treatments include:
- Steroids: Steroids can help when there is an inflammatory disease behind the bleeding.
- Antibiotics: In pneumonia or tuberculosis cases, antibiotics are use
- Bronchoscopy: This procedure examines the potential causes of bleeding closely. An endoscope is inserted into the airway through the nose or mouth. Tools can be attached at the end. Some are intended to avoid bleeding, while others may dissolve a blood clot.
- Embolizing: A doctor can prescribe a procedure called embolization if a large blood vessel is responsible for the blood in the sputum. A doctor may recommend a procedure called embolization. A catheter is inserted into the ship, the source of the bleeding is identified, and a metal coil, chemical, or piece of gelatin sponge is used to seal it off
- Transfusion: Transfusion of products from the blood. Blood in the sputum may be required for a transfusion of blood components such as platelets, clotting factors, or plasma when coagulation problems or abnormally thin blood handle the appearance.
- Chemotherapy or radiotherapy: Chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be used to treat lung cancer
- Surgery: This may be necessary to remove a cancerous or damaged part of the lung. Generally speaking, surgery is only an option in extreme or chronic cases of bleeding.
How can coughing up blood be prevented?
Coughing up blood is a symptom of an illness. Ignoring the symptom can allow the underlying cause to get worse. Prevention is, therefore, about tackling the problem and getting appropriate treatment. Stopping smoking and avoiding the outdoors when pollution and smog are high can be beneficial. If you don't ignore a persistent cough, it can also help prevent this symptom.
When to visit a Doctor?
It is essential to contact your doctor every time you cough up blood, as it can be a sign of a severe respiratory condition.
If you have been coughing up tiny quantities of blood for more than a week, speak to your healthcare provider. They'll identify the reason behind your hemoptysis.
Seek medical assistance right away if you are coughing up more than a few teaspoons of blood or if you have any of the following symptoms in addition to your cough:
- Chest pain
- Blood in your urine or stools
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Rapid or severe weight loss
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Book an AppointmentWhat are Some Home Remedies for Coughing up Blood?
Coughing up blood, also known as hemoptysis, is a potentially serious symptom that should not be treated with home remedies alone. It requires prompt medical attention to determine the underlying cause and appropriate treatment. While you should not rely solely on home remedies, there are some steps you can take at home to help alleviate discomfort or irritation associated with coughing up blood before seeking medical help:
- Stay Calm: Coughing up blood can be distressing, but it's essential to remain as calm as possible.
- Cough Gently: If you need to clear your throat or cough, do so gently to avoid further irritation. Avoid forceful coughing.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids to keep your respiratory tract moist and to help soothe any irritation.
- Use a Humidifier: You can reduce dry throat symptoms and provide moisture to the air in your room by using a humidifier
- Avoid Irritants: Stay away from smoking, secondhand smoke, and other airborne irritants that can exacerbate the problem.
- Elevate Your Head: Coughing up blood at night can be prevented by elevating your head as you sleep.
- Avoid Aspirin and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): These medications can increase the risk of bleeding. Unless a medical professional advises otherwise, acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a good option if you require pain relief.
- Rest: To aid in your body's healing and recovery, get lots of sleep.
