Recognize Symptoms And Causes Of Bloody Cough Before Late

JAKARTA - Bloody cough is a condition when a person bleeding while coughing. In the medical world, this condition is called hemoptis or hemaptoe. Although it sounds trivial, coughing blood can be a sign of serious problems in the respiratory tract, especially the lungs.

According to several studies, hemoptis has a fairly high mortality rate, reaching 938% if not treated immediately. Therefore, it is important to recognize the symptoms and the causes from an early age so that the treatment is faster and more precise.

Symptoms Of Bloody Cough

Reporting from Mitra Keluarga's official website, the clearest sign of coughing is of course bleeding when coughing or coughing. However, this condition usually does not come alone. People with bleeding coughs can also experience a number of other symptoms such as coughing fast, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, to breathing that sounds or stands.

In addition, the body often feels weak, tired easily, accompanied by fever, weight loss, and loss of appetite. If these symptoms appear at the same time, you should immediately go to the doctor to find out the exact cause.

Bloody cough is different from blood vomiting. Blood from coughing is usually fresh red and can mix air bubbles, while blood vomiting tends to be darker, brownish, and often comes out with food remains.

Causes Of Bloody Cough

Bloody cough can be caused by various things, ranging from infection, chronic lung disease, heart problems, to autoimmune disease. Here's a brief explanation:

1. Infection

Some types of germs, viruses, and fungi can also cause bleeding coughs. One of them is the Mycobacterium tuberculosis which causes tuberculosis, chronic lung infections that quite often cause blood coughs.

In addition, there are also viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and rhinovirus that can trigger lung inflammation or pneumonia. Not only that, other bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are also known as common causes of pneumonia that can be accompanied by blood coughs.

Meanwhile, fungal infections such as Asperangllus and Histopplasma can attack lung tissue and cause bleeding if not treated immediately.

2. Kronis Lung Disease

Some lung diseases that take place in the long term can also cause bleeding coughs. Examples are bronchitis, both acute and chronic, which makes the respiratory tract inflamed and easily bleeding.

In addition, lung cancer is also often the cause of bleeding cough due to abnormal tissue growth that damages blood vessels in the lungs. Other conditions such as Bronkiectics, namely damage to respiratory tracts, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PPOK) can also trigger blood discharge when coughing due to inflammation and irritation that continues to occur in the lungs.

3. Heart problems and blood vessels

Although rare, heart disorders can also trigger blood coughs. One of them is the narrowing of the Mitral valve. This condition causes blood pressure in the lungs to increase and makes small blood vessels burst so that blood comes out when coughing.

4. Autoimmune and Genetic Diseases

Some autoimmune diseases such as lupus, granuloxis polyyangitis, and Goodpasture syndrome can also cause bleeding coughs. In this disease, the immune system that should protect the body actually attacks the lung tissue and blood vessels, triggering bleeding in the pulmonary air bag.

How Doctors Diagnosize

To determine the cause of the bleeding cough, doctors will conduct physical examinations and several supporting tests, such as:- Chest X-ray photo (torque) to see if there is an infection or tumor in the lungs-CT Scan: examine the location of bleeding in more detail- Broncoscopy: directly monitor the source of bleeding and stop it if necessary- Laboratory tests: such as phlegm culture, tuberculosis tests, and blood tests.

Bloody Cough Treatment

The main purpose of treatment is to stop bleeding and overcome the causes. Here are some steps usually taken by doctors:

1. Initial Stabilization

The doctor will ensure that the airway remains open and provides oxygen. If one of the lungs is bleeding, the body's position is usually arranged so that healthy lungs are above. Patients are still advised to blood through coughing so that there is no blockage in the airway.

2. Stop Bleeding

If the source of bleeding has been found, the doctor can give:

- Cold salt solution

- Draining drug (vasoxonstrictor)

- Blood clotting drug (coagulan)

- Laser therapy or cryotherapy

- Procedure embolization (covering the leaking blood vessels)

3. Minimum Invasive Medical Procedure

Two common actions are Bronchial Artery Embolization (BAE) and brongoscopy.

- BAE: Small Kateters are inserted through the blood vessels in the thighs to cover the source of bleeding in the lungs.

- Bronkoscopy: A small interval with the camera is inserted into the airway to search for and stop bleeding directly.

4. Operation

The operation is only carried out if the patient's condition is severe and other methods are not successful. The operation is carried out by removing the damaged lung, taking into account the function of the lungs that are still healthy. Immediately check yourself with the doctor if you experience the following.

- Cough of blood repeatedly or non-stop even if it's a little

- Blood comes out quite a lot or in the form of a clot

- Accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pain, or dizziness

- Experiencing high fever, weight loss, or sweat at night

- Has a history of tuberculosis, bronkiectics, COPD, or lung cancer

- Consumption of blood dilution and suddenly coughing blood