Coughing up bloody sputum

Coughing and coughing up phlegm are relatively common phenomena, but it is relatively rare if the phlegm contains blood, so it must be taken seriously by everyone. If blood is found, seek medical attention in time. After finding the cause, timely treatment should be received to avoid serious illness and cause greater harm to the body.

There are many reasons for coughing up blood, but most of them are related to the lungs, so protecting the lungs becomes particularly important. Patients who cough frequently should pay more attention to all aspects of life, try not to smoke or drink, eat light food, and avoid spicy and irritating foods. In addition, try to stay away from dusty places to avoid dust entering the lungs and causing certain damage. The following will introduce the reasons for coughing up blood and some corresponding treatment methods, hoping to help you relieve your pain.

Bloody sputum (sputum with blood streaks or blood clots) may have the following conditions:

First, the presence of bright red blood in the sputum is often seen in tuberculosis or bronchiectasis, and sometimes this phenomenon can also occur when there is inflammation in the pharynx.

Second, black bloody sputum is often seen in pulmonary infarction.

Third, coughing up bloody foamy sputum may be seen in pulmonary edema.

Fourth, if there is blood in sputum for a long time or it is accompanied by chest pain, fatigue, and weight loss, you should be alert to bronchial lung cancer.

Cough classification and treatment

Once your throat is itchy, it's hard to stop yourself from coughing in public. Although coughing is very annoying, it is not a disease in itself but a protective reflex of the body.

We can determine the cause of the cough based on the duration and coughed-up material: sudden coughs are often protective coughs caused by inhaling foreign objects; coughs caused by colds often last for several days; usually chronic, persistent coughs are pathological, and the causes may be smoking, allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, tuberculosis, lung cancer, etc.

The nature, color, and viscosity of the coughed-up material can tell us the nature and severity of the disease. Generally speaking, if a cough is accompanied by back and leg pain, fever, body temperature over 39°C, headache, and sore throat, it can be judged as influenza; if the sputum turns yellow-green, it indicates that the bacteria have ascended and infected the body, mostly upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, sinusitis, etc.; if the cough is accompanied by difficulty breathing, wheezing, and chest tightness, it can be diagnosed as bronchial asthma; if pink bloody sputum or yellow rust-like sputum is coughed up, and is accompanied by chest pain, headache, fever, and difficulty breathing, it may be infected with pneumonia.

Hemoptysis is a serious symptom and you should see a doctor immediately if it occurs. The underlying cause may or may not be serious. So you must go to the hospital for a systemic examination. Sometimes bleeding gums or nosebleeds may be mistaken for hemoptysis. Hemoptysis is usually caused by rupture of blood vessels in the nasal cavity, throat, trachea, and lungs. The most common cause is infection, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc. Lung cancer and hemophilia can also cause massive hemoptysis.

Use the body's own strength

Generally speaking, cough is not a fatal disease. If you only have cold symptoms such as cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, etc., you do not need to take medicine and let the body's own immune system deal with it. In fact, an occasional cold is beneficial for exercising our body's immune function. The misuse of cough suppressants not only reduces the body's ability to clean the respiratory tract, but may also mask serious diseases. This harm is more serious when the cough is accompanied by a large amount of sputum. Therefore, whether you use cough suppressants or secret recipes, do not use them for more than 7 to 10 days, and it is best to use them only at night to relieve cough.

Selective medication

Generally speaking, coughs caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but antibiotics are ineffective for viral colds. If the sputum of a cold patient is thick, expectorants can be used to reduce sputum secretion. Patients with dry cough can use throat lozenges, licorice tablets or cough syrup to reduce the body's susceptibility and thus relieve the cough. But no matter which medicine you use, remember not to take it for too long and it must be under the guidance of a doctor.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water can help thin the phlegm and make it easier to cough up. Boiled water and fruit and vegetable juices are both good recovery drinks. Pear juice, watermelon juice, apple juice, radish juice, etc. are all good cough suppressants. You may as well drink 4-5 large cups of them every day. But be careful not to add sugar and salt. If you want to drink something sweet, you can add a little honey. Honey has the effect of moistening the lungs and promoting bowel movements, which helps to alleviate symptoms.

Avoid coffee and alcohol

Try to avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine and alcohol, as these drinks have a diuretic effect and cause body fluids to be consumed too quickly.

Keep the air moist

Increasing the humidity of the indoor air can help relieve discomfort such as cough, sore throat, and dry nasal cavity. You can use a humidifier or boil water in a teapot to humidify the air.

Elevated pillow

If your cough is keeping you awake, there's a way to find relief. Try raising your pillow by 20 cm and sleeping on your side. It prevents mucus buildup and also prevents irritating acid from the stomach from flowing back up into the esophagus and being aspirated.

Acupressure

Severe coughing can cause contraction or even spasm of the upper back muscles. At this time, pressing the Chize point on the lung meridian can relieve pain.

A balanced diet and water replenishment are the basic requirements for auxiliary treatment of cough patients. Usually, you should be careful not to eat spicy and irritating foods to avoid aggravating the condition. At the same time, you should also pay attention to supplementing protein and various vitamins to help the body recover as soon as possible.

Patients who cough up blood in sputum should exercise appropriately, but not excessively. This can increase the body's resistance. They should develop good living habits, not stay up late, and get enough sleep, which will also play an effective role in the recovery of the disease. I hope today's introduction can help you recover soon.