Contents:
- Medical Video: Clearing Your Chest with Breathing Exercises
- Causes of bleeding cough accompanied by shortness of breath
- Ways that can be done to diagnose bleeding cough
- Various treatment options for bleeding cough
Medical Video: Clearing Your Chest with Breathing Exercises
Almost everyone has coughed, whether it's a dry cough or cough with phlegm. Usually a cough can heal immediately after taking medication from a shop. However, immediately go to the doctor if you experience coughing up blood for more than a week, especially accompanied by shortness of breath and chest pain.
Causes of bleeding cough accompanied by shortness of breath
There are many medical conditions that could be the cause of bloody cough accompanied by shortness of breath. Some of them are related to lung disorders. The following are the most common causes of bleeding cough with shortness of breath that you should be aware of:
- Bronchitis (acute or chronic), which is an infection of the bronchial airway.
- Bronchiectasis, abnormal widening of the airways.
- Tuberculosis (TBC), a bacterial infection that attacks and damages the tissues of the human body.
- Pneumonia, an infection that attacks the lungs causing the air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and swollen.
- Lung cancer or non-malignant lung tumor.
- Pulmonary edema, fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Pulmonary embolism, an obstacle in one of the pulmonary arteries in your lungs due to air bubbles or blood clots.
- Congestive heart failure, mainly due to mitral stenosis.
- Throat irritation from excessive coughing - in many cases, this condition is related to smoking habits.
- Inflammatory or autoimmune conditions such as lupus, Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and so on.
- Trauma, such as gunshot wounds or motor vehicle accidents.
- Use of blood thinning drugs (anticoagulants).
- Cocaine abuse.
Bloody cough accompanied by shortness of breath can also be caused by bleeding outside the lungs and respiratory tract. For example, when you have severe nosebleeds or vomiting, blood can result in draining blood in your throat. The dry blood in the throat comes out when you cough, causing coughing up blood.
You are advised to immediately consult a doctor to determine the exact cause. In addition, this is also done so that you can get the treatment that suits your needs.
Ways that can be done to diagnose bleeding cough
Depending on the cause, your doctor will first make sure that your airway is fine. After that, the doctor will ask for your history and conduct a series of physical examinations and additional examinations to collect clues that help identify the cause. The most commonly performed checks include:
- Sputum examination
- Complete blood test (CBC) to count the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelet counts
- Chest X-ray
- Chest CT Scan
- Bronchoscopy
Various treatment options for bleeding cough
Treatment of bleeding cough will depend on the cause. However, the most common treatments recommended by doctors include:
- Antibiotics, if caused by pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases.
- Steroids to relieve inflammatory conditions.
- Widening of the airways, namely bronchodilators.
- Medication for suppressant cough.
- Chemotherapy and / or radiation if caused by lung cancer.
- To stop bleeding, bronchial artery embolization, bronchoscopy, or surgery can also be done.
- Blood transfusion or other drugs to deal with blood loss. But this will depend on how severe the patient's condition is.
Aside from those mentioned above, simple things like lifestyle changes can also help speed up the healing process of this condition. Here are some lifestyle changes that can help deal with bleeding coughs:
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid irritants and allergens that trigger you to cough
- Pay attention to food intake to make it more nutritious and nutritious.
- Routine physical activity.
