Blood in Phlegm

If it wasn't bad enough that you are coughing up phlegm, it's only worse to see that the phlegm has streaks of blood in it. Although, this may often cause alarm in people and maybe a cause of worry, it does not always have to be so. Sometimes blood in phlegm could only signify a nosebleed. However, there are a number of diseases and disorders, that could have phlegm with blood in it as a vital symptom.

How Does Blood in Phlegm Arise?
Phlegm often arises when a person coughs. This phlegm is produced as a natural response by the immune system to any kind of irritant in the body. However, blood in phlegm occurs sometimes, because, as the phlegm passes through the respiratory tract, it gets tinged with blood, if there is any lung infection. However, this could occur anywhere along the entire length of the respiratory tract and hence, this is a symptom that is not adequate to base a diagnosis on, as it is merely an indicator of something being wrong somewhere along the respiratory tract.

Causes of Bloody Phlegm
There are many causes for coughing up phlegm with blood, and these causes range from something as simple as nosebleeds to dire conditions like lung cancer. Given below are the various possible causes:

Bleeding from Respiratory Tracts: Bloody phlegm could be seen due to various reasons, including nosebleeds and throat bleeds, which sometimes occur in severe strep throat infections. This could occur due to a rupture of vessels lining these tracts, which often occurs in severe allergies. However, this should be differentiated from blood tinged sputum, which signifies infections or bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract.

Respiratory Conditions: There are numerous chronic lung infections that cause a person to cough up bloody phlegm. These are enlisted below:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Lung fibrosis
• Pneumonia
• Ruptured lung blood vessel
• Bronchiectasis
• Lung abscess
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Fungal lung infection
• Tuberculosis

Lung Cancer: Lung cancer is a major cause of death, seen in people who indulge in long-term smoking. One of the first few symptoms of lung cancer is coughing up bloody phlegm. However, unlike the blood tinged phlegm seen in other cases, this is extremely thick phlegm, which may even cause difficulty in breathing while coughing it up. Hence, when such thick and blood filled phlegm is given out, one should immediately contact the doctor.

Heart Disorders: Certain cardiovascular diseases can also show symptoms of bloody phlegm. These include valvular heart diseases like mitral stenosis or mitral regurgitation, congestive heart failure, arteriovenous malformation etc. Phlegm with blood in the morning is especially seen when it is related with an underlying heart disease.

Miscellaneous Conditions: There are certain miscellaneous conditions that may lead to phlegm with blood in it like sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, lymphatic disorders, reactions to certain medications, coagulation disorders like thrombocytopenia, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, bleeding disorders like hemophilia etc.

Treatment Options
As such, the entire treatment of blood tinged phlegm in chest will depend on the underlying condition that is causing the person to cough up the phlegm. It is extremely important that the person takes this symptom seriously and contact the doctor, so that a few basic tests can be run and a diagnosis can be reached, after which a detailed treatment plan will be chalked out.

Thus, it is most important that the person takes this symptom seriously, before there is an irreversible damage done to the lungs and the rest of the respiratory system.