Hemoptysis is the medical term for coughing up blood. The blood can be mixed with mucus or be pink and bubbly, or bright red. The Mayo Clinic says coughing up a little bit of sputum tinged with blood is not uncommon and usually doesn't indicate a serious condition. If you cough up blood frequently or cough up a lot of blood, see a doctor. Hemoptysis can result from many different underlying medical conditions.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis results from a bacterial infection of the lungs that gradually destroys lung tissue. It's not common in industrialized nations, but around the world, tuberculosis is the most common cause of hemoptysis, according to the Health Communities Pulmonology channel. A tuberculosis patient also coughs up sputum that's thick and yellowish-white.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis means inflammation and swelling of the bronchi, the tubes that lead from the throat to the lungs. In developed countries, bronchitis is a very common cause of hemoptysis. Under a barrage of frequent and prolonged coughing, the protective mucus coating of the bronchi and smaller airways can break down, causing a small amount of bleeding into the air passages. When hemoptysis results from bronchitis, only a small amount of blood appears in the sputum, which is thick and yellowish-white.
Bronchiectasis
In bronchiectasis, the smaller airways branching off the bromchi, called bronchioles, are constantly dilated and susceptible to infection. Like bronchitis, bronchiectasis is a very common cause of hemoptysis in industrialized countries. Bronchiestasis also causes a severe and persistent cough that can damage the airways enough to cause bleeding into the sputum.
Lung Cancer
According to the Health Communities Pulmonology channel, about 90 percent of lung cancer cases initiate in the bronchi and are classified as brochogenic carcinoma. Although coughing up blood can be a sign of bronchogenic carcinoma, this is a much less common cause than bronchitis or bronchiectasis. The Health Communities Pulmonology channel adds that about 20 percent of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma cough up blood at some point in the course of the disease, and about 7 percent get their diagnosis after a primary complaint of hemoptysis. The cancer can cause bleeding into the airways because the tumor invades or bursts a blood vessel of the lungs, or because of the death of tumor cells.
Other
The Mayo Clinic lists several additional diseases that can cause patients to cough up blood, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, emphysema, or pulmonary embolism. Outside factors that can cause hemoptysis include a blow to the chest, a foreign object in the lungs, or using drugs such as crack.
