Urgent Question Regarding Coughing Up Blood.?!
Question: Urgent Question Regarding Coughing Up Blood!.!?
Today I was told by a friend that she was coughing up blood recently!. I immediately thought Lung Cancer and it has been plaguing me since!. She's only 20 and has a 17 week old daughter!. I'm looking for reassurance that Lung Cancer isn't the only thing that would cause a person to cough up blood!. She was a heavy smoker and quit last night!. Maybe other Lung problems that aren't terminal and fatal!? If anybody can answer this, please do!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Haemoptysis, coughing up blood, always requires investigation!. Even heavy smokers don't get lung cancer at 20 years, though there are some lung cancers, unrelated to smoking that do occur occasionally in young age groups!.
Infections, including TB need to be excluded as does PTE, pulmonary embolism!. Occasionally simple coughing will burst a blood vessel and result in an alarming, but often harmless bleed!.
The odds are she won't turn out to have anything life threatening!. What is amazing is the number of people who get a fright like this, stop smoking, only to restart as soon as the scare is over!. Hopefully she will not be one of them!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Infections, including TB need to be excluded as does PTE, pulmonary embolism!. Occasionally simple coughing will burst a blood vessel and result in an alarming, but often harmless bleed!.
The odds are she won't turn out to have anything life threatening!. What is amazing is the number of people who get a fright like this, stop smoking, only to restart as soon as the scare is over!. Hopefully she will not be one of them!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Coughing up blood (hemoptysis) can be a frightening experience!. However, it isn't necessarily serious!. Known causes of hemoptysis include:
Lung infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia or bronchiectasis
Violent coughing
Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema)
A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
Lung cancer
Some forms of heart failure
Trauma to the chest, such as from a car accident
Foreign objects lodged in your airway
Abuse of certain drugs, such as cocaine
A doctor may use a variety of procedures to determine the cause of hemoptysis, including:
Chest X-ray
Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest
Bronchoscopy, a procedure in which a flexible tube is inserted into your airway to allow the doctor to see inside your windpipe (trachea) and airways (bronchial tubes)
Lung biopsy
Echocardiogram
When possible, treatment of hemoptysis is directed at the underlying cause!. However, in many cases, the cause of hemoptysis can't be determined
Lung infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia or bronchiectasis
Violent coughing
Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema)
A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
Lung cancer
Some forms of heart failure
Trauma to the chest, such as from a car accident
Foreign objects lodged in your airway
Abuse of certain drugs, such as cocaine
A doctor may use a variety of procedures to determine the cause of hemoptysis, including:
Chest X-ray
Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest
Bronchoscopy, a procedure in which a flexible tube is inserted into your airway to allow the doctor to see inside your windpipe (trachea) and airways (bronchial tubes)
Lung biopsy
Echocardiogram
When possible, treatment of hemoptysis is directed at the underlying cause!. However, in many cases, the cause of hemoptysis can't be determined
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