There are many dangerous situations for health and life, with which a person is simply obligated to be acquainted. One of them is blood from the mouth. Why this problem may arise and how to cope with it - this will be discussed further.
What it is?
Initially, you need to understand what bleeding is. So, this is the exit of blood from blood vessels as a result of a violation of their integrity. Bleeding can be of two main types:
- Traumatic , that is, those that arise as a result of mechanical damage to body tissues due to external factors (shock, cut).
- Non-traumatic . They arise as a result of various diseases or pathological conditions (for example, bleeding can cause tumors or chronic diseases).
It should also be noted that the body of an adult contains about 5 liters of blood. Moreover, the loss of two liters is considered deadly.
Bleeding from the mouth: types
If a person bleeds from his mouth, there may be several reasons for this. And you can divide them into three large groups:
- Blood from the oral cavity.
- Blood from the airways.
- Blood from internal organs.
In all these cases, blood can exit through the oral cavity or in a pure form, or together with vomit or cough masses.
Blood formation in the oral cavity
If blood has gone from the mouth, the causes may be hidden in the damage to blood vessels. The intensity in this case depends on what exactly is injured: a vein, a capillary or an artery. If the bleeding is very massive, fluid can enter the airways. And this, in turn, often leads to respiratory arrest or the appearance of a shock state. In this case, the tongue, palate, cheeks, gums can be injured. Blood from the mouth can go after tooth extraction, tissue cuts, the presence of malignant or benign tumors. But with all this, the problems with blood coagulation cause the biggest problem. In this case, there is a risk of massive blood loss, which is fraught with serious problems.
How to help with such bleeding
Initially, it should be noted that in such cases it is best to immediately seek a doctor's help. Indeed, even if outwardly the problem seems simple, it can turn out to be very serious as a result. Especially if there are blood clotting problems described above. It is also important to provide timely assistance to a person with bleeding.
- The patient should be seated or put on his side, after cleaning the oral cavity from any fluid, as well as removing blood clots.
- Next, a cotton swab should be applied to the affected area in the mouth. You can moisten it in hydrogen peroxide 3%.
- If the blood does not stop for 30-40 minutes or more, the patient must be taken to a hospital for observation.
In the event that there are tumors in the mouth or the patient has blood clotting processes disturbed, the person must be taken to the clinic immediately.
Hemoptysis
What other causes can cause blood from the mouth? Sometimes this occurs as a result of pulmonary hemorrhage. In this case, the blood comes out with cough masses. It can either completely stain sputum, and stand out in the form of scarlet streaks . Why is coughing up blood from the mouth? The causes may be hidden in diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, cysts, connective tissue problems, various infectious diseases, as well as injuries to the lungs and chest in general.
Help with pulmonary hemorrhage
In this case, you need to immediately go to the doctor. Previously, the patient must be seated and give him cold water. It must be drunk in small sips. It is also good to swallow small pieces of ice. If the patient has a severe cough, you must also give an antitussive drug. It’s good if it contains codeine.
Bloody vomiting
And the last group of cases when blood from the mouth can be released is vomiting mixed with blood. This fluid may enter the vomit and thus exit. Most often this is due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The cause may be an ulcer, colitis, gastritis, dysentery, cancer and other problems. At the same time, it is worth remembering: if the vomit has a bright red or scarlet hue, then the disease began acutely and develops rapidly. If the vomit is dark brown, it means that the bleeding is not strong, and the liquid stayed in the stomach for some time and succumbed to the effects of gastric juice.
First aid for bloody vomiting
Did the patient bleed out of his mouth with vomit? Why this happens is understandable. But how can one help a person? So, it must immediately be delivered to the hospital. Necessarily on a stretcher. The patient should lie on his back, his head should be below body level, and he will have to put a cold heating pad on his stomach or pieces of ice wrapped in a towel. You should also drink cold water in small sips, or you can swallow small pieces of ice. In this case, it is important to ensure that the patient's vomit does not get into his respiratory tract. Therefore, the patient's head should be turned to the side.