For the body, cough plays a very important role. With it, the bronchi with the lungs are cleaned when viruses with bacteria or allergens are present in them. It also signals that there are problems in the respiratory system.
What's happening?
If you cough for a long time, your mucous membrane of the respiratory tract is irritated for a long time. It is then that a cough with streaks of blood may appear. And when it comes to this, you should immediately consult a doctor, if you have not done so yet.
So, coughing up blood. What does this mean, we now find out. Dangerous diseases that have this symptom include oncology of the larynx or lungs, as well as tuberculosis. But, in addition, blood clots during coughing may mean that there is a sternum injury, as a result of which the airways are also damaged.
Other reasons
It can also be a protrusion of the bronchial walls, which take the form of balls. This is a bronchiectatic disease. In this case, sputum stagnation occurs. This makes the patient constantly cough, resulting in irritation of the mucous membranes. It is also necessary to say about a cough with blood that this phenomenon can be a sign of pneumonia.
Smoking people, as you know, do not end with anything good . Tobacco smoke leads to at least chronic bronchitis. In the worst case, this addiction turns into emphysema and lung cancer. One of these problems may indicate a cough with blood. What is specific, only a doctor will determine.
There are some differences in this symptom with various ailments. For example, if it is tuberculosis, then sputum will have a purulent-bloody character, as a result of which it will smell rather unpleasant due to the presence of pus. Thin streaks of blood in sputum are characteristic of lung cancer. With fluid stagnation, pink foamy sputum will be released.
What should I do if you have a cough with blood? What is it, of course, friends and acquaintances can tell you, as well as advise the “right” treatment. But you do not need to consult with people who are not versed in such important issues - you will only aggravate the situation. You must immediately consult a doctor who will make the correct diagnosis, as well as prescribe the appropriate treatment.
In the hospital
You will have to not only describe the symptoms, but also talk about all your past illnesses, as well as about existing chronic ones. If you tried to treat your ailment yourself, be sure to tell your doctor what drugs you took.
Most likely, you will be assigned to a lung examination through a tube with a video camera. This procedure is called bronchoscopy. It is not entirely pleasant, but it will help to establish with accuracy where bleeding occurs. It will also be necessary to take an X-ray of the lungs (fluorogram). In special cases, when the above methods are not enough, tomography is prescribed.
If you encounter the problem described above, coughing up blood, do not hesitate - every lost day can cost health and even life.