MayoClinic.com reprints
This single copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. For permission to reprint multiple copies or to order presentation-ready copies for distribution, use the reprints link below.
· Order reprints of this article now.
Coughing up blood
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coughing-up-blood/MY01064
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
Coughing up blood can be caused by a variety of lung conditions. Coughing up blood can take different forms: The blood may be bright red or pink and frothy, or it may be mixed with mucus. Also known as hemoptysis (he-MOP-tih-sis), coughing up blood, even in small amounts, can be alarming. However, producing a little blood-tinged sputum isn't uncommon and usually isn't serious. Call 911 or seek emergency care if you're coughing up blood in large quantities or coughing up blood frequently.
Causes
Hemoptysis refers to coughing up blood from some part of the respiratory tract. Blood coming from elsewhere, such as your stomach, can mimic coughing up blood. It's important for your doctor to determine the site of the bleeding, and then determine why you're coughing up blood.
The major cause of coughing up blood is chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis. Other possible causes of coughing up blood include:
- COPD
- Cystic fibrosis
- Drug use, such as crack cocaine
- Emphysema
- Foreign body
- Lung abscess
- Lung cancer
- Mitral valve stenosis
- Parasitic infection
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary embolism
- Trauma to the chest
- Tuberculosis
- Wegener's granulomatosis
When to see a doctor
Call your doctor if you're coughing up blood. He or she can determine whether the cause is minor or potentially more serious. Call 911 or seek immediate care if you're coughing up a lot of blood or if the bleeding won't stop.
- Hemoptysis. In: Kahan S, et al. In a Page Signs and Symptoms. 2nd ed. Philadelphia Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009:144.
- Larsen K, et al. Hemoptysis. In: Paulman P, et al. Taylor's 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual. 2nd ed. Philadelphia Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007:155.
- Bidwell J, et al. Hemoptysis: Diagnosis and management. American Family Physician. 2005;72:1253.
- Weinberger S. Etiology and evaluation of hemoptysis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 24, 2009.
Find Mayo Clinic on