Hemoptysis (patient information)

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2]

Overview

Coughing up blood is the spitting up of blood or bloody mucus from the lungs and throat (respiratory tract).

Hemoptysis is the medical term for coughing up blood from the respiratory tract.

What causes Hemoptysis ?

A number of conditions, diseases, and medical tests may make you cough up blood, including:

• Blood clot in the lung
• Breathing blood into the lungs (pulmonary aspiration)
• Bronchoscopy with biopsy
• Bronchiectasis
• Bronchitis
• Cancer
• Cystic fibrosis
• Inflammation of the blood vessels in the lung (vasculitis)
• Injury to the arteries of the lungs
• Irritation of the throat from violent coughing (small amounts of blood)
• Pneumonia or other lung infections
• Pulmonary edema
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Tuberculosis

When to seek urgent medical care ?

Get medical help right away if you cough up blood and have:

• A cough that produces more than a few teaspoons of blood
• Blood in your urine or stools
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Fever
• Light-headedness
• Severe shortness of breath