Cough plays a very important role for the body. With its help, the bronchi with the lungs are cleaned when they contain viruses with bacteria or allergens. It also signals that there are problems in the respiratory organs.
What's going on?
If you cough for a long time, your airway mucosa is irritated for a long time. It is then that a cough with streaks of blood may appear. And when it comes down to it, you need to see a doctor immediately if you haven't already.
So, coughing up blood. What this means, 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 when coughing can mean that there is an injury to the sternum, as a result of which the airways were also damaged.
Other reasons
It could also be a bulgebronchial walls, which take the form of balls. This is bronchiectasis. In this case, mucus stagnation occurs. This causes the patient to constantly cough, resulting in irritation of the mucous membranes. It should also be said about coughing up blood, that this phenomenon can be a sign of pneumonia.
Smoking people, as you know, do not end up 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 can be indicated by coughing up blood. What exactly it is, only the doctor will determine.
There are some differences in this symptom for different ailments. For example, if it is tuberculosis, then the sputum will have a purulent-bloody character, as a result of which it will smell rather unpleasant due to the presence of pus. Lung cancer is characterized by thin streaks of blood in the sputum. Fluid stagnation will produce pink, frothy sputum.
What to do if you start coughing up blood? What it is, of course, friends and acquaintances can tell you, as well as advise the "correct" treatment. But there is no need to consult with people who do not understand this on 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 not only have to describe the symptoms, but also tell about alltheir previous diseases, as well as existing chronic ones. If you have tried to treat your ailment on your own, be sure to tell your doctor what medications you have been taking.
Most likely, you will be scheduled for a lung exam through a tube with a video camera. This procedure is called a bronchoscopy. It is not entirely pleasant, but it will help to determine exactly where the bleeding occurs. You will also need to take an x-ray of the lungs (fluorogram). In special cases, when the above methods are not enough, tomography is prescribed.
If you are faced with the problem described above, coughing up blood, do not hesitate - every lost day can cost your he alth and even life.