Coughing up blood (Hemoptysis) Types, Causes, and Treatment

Some people may notice this symptom after a strong coughing spell, in the morning, or when they are sick with a respiratory infection. Even though it can sometimes result from something minor like a throat irritation, it's not something to ignore.

This condition is more common in individuals with long-term lung problems, frequent infections, or who smoke regularly. If blood appears in your cough more than once, or in larger amounts, it's important to seek medical help.

Types 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: It 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.
• 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: It 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.

Conditions that Cause Coughing Up Blood (Hemoptysis)

• Congestive heart failure (often due to mitral valve stenosis)
• Use of crack cocaine
• Foreign objects in the airways
• Inflammatory or autoimmune disease
• Non-cancerous lung tumors
• Parasitic infections
• Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (AVM)
• Severe injury (e.g., gunshot wound or car accident)
• Use of blood thinners (anticoagulants)
• Endometriosis (including pulmonary form)
• Hughes-Stovin syndrome
• Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
• Sarcoidosis
• Neck or throat cancer
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
• Lung Abscess

Related Symptoms of Coughing Up Blood

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Fever and chills
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Persistent cough
• Blood in urine or stool
• Rapid or unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue or exhaustion

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

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 often a sign of an underlying health issue.
• Ignoring it can lead to more serious problems.
• Prevention starts with treating the root cause early.
• Quit smoking to protect your lungs.
• Avoid going outside when air pollution or smog levels are high.
• Don't ignore a cough that lasts more than a few days.
• Seek medical help if you notice blood in your cough.