Coughing up blood

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Treatment

Coughing up blood

Alternative Names:

Hemoptysis; Spitting up blood; Bloody sputum
Home Care:

Cough suppressants may help if this condition is due to throat irritationfrom violent coughing. However, cough suppressants mayleadairway obstruction in some cases. Always checkwith your doctor first.

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It is very important to note how long you cough up blood.You should also keep track of the following:

How much blood is mixed with the mucus
Symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, or thirst,which might indicate a severe amount of blood loss
Other symptoms such as fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and blood in the urine

Call your health care provider if:

If there is any unexplained coughing up of blood, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department. This is very important if your cough produces large volumes of blood (more than a few teaspoons), or if it is accompanied by severe shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or dizziness.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

In emergency cases, your doctor will give you treatments to control your condition. You will then be asked questions about your cough such as:

Type
- Can you see blood when you cough up something?
- Is there blood-streaked mucus (phlegm)?
- Are large amounts of blood (massive hemoptysis) coughed up?
- How many times have you coughed up blood?
Time pattern
- Is the cough worse at night?
- Did it begin suddenly?
- Has itincreased recently?
- How many weekshas the cough lasted?
- What other symptoms do you have?

The doctor will do a complete physical exam and check your chest and lungs. Teststhat may bedone include: