Why am I coughing up blood?

Coughing up blood is known as hemoptysis. For one thing, coughing up blood is not normal. No matter how much blood is coughed up, it can be quite frightening. In the majority of people, coughing up blood is not due to any serious medical disorder. However, in a few patients coughing up blood may be due to a lung cancer. The most common causes of coughing up blood include:

Bronchitis. This is commonly seen in individuals who smoke but the amount of blood coughed up is small

Pneumonia: In very rare cases, some types of pneumonia may induce coughing of blood. Once the pneumonia is treated, the coughing stops

Bronchiectasis is a disorder where there is destruction of lung, which results in repeated and moderate amounts of hemoptysis. The amount of blood coughed up can be frightening and most people require admission to the hospital

Tuberculosis is one of the most common disorders that causes coughing up of blood. Once the infection is treated, hemoptysis subsides.

Lung abscess (pus in the lung) is another common cause of hemoptysis. This infection is typically seen in alcoholics and individuals who aspirate oral contents into their lungs

Sometimes violent coughing may be associated with minute amounts of blood in the sputum. This disorder is benign and usually resolves when the coughing is treated