Blood in Cough

  1. Coughing up blood can be alarming, but isn’t usually a sign of a serious problem if you’re young and otherwise healthy. It’s more a cause for concern in older people, particularly those who smoke.
  2. The medical term for coughing up blood is haemoptysis.
  3. You may cough up small amounts of bright red blood, or frothy blood-streaked sputum (phlegm). The blood is usually from your lungs and is often the result of prolonged coughing or a chest infection.
  4. If the blood is dark and contains bits of food or what look like coffee grounds, it may be coming from your digestive system. This is a more serious problem and you should go to hospital straight away.
  5. 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, Sometimes a severe nosebleed or bleeding from the mouth or throat can cause blood to come out in your saliva when you cough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: Blood while spitting can be because of multiple factors like oral ulcers, tooth infection, blood in vomit (ulcer), blood in sputum (lungs) etc. so please visit a doctor to exactly localize the cause

Ans: Yes, smoking can indirectly cause blood in sputum like cancer, infections, chronic bronchitis etc

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