What is the reason for a child coughing up blood?

We often hear or see many middle-aged and elderly people coughing up blood due to bronchial diseases when they are older, but rarely see children coughing up blood at a very young age. In fact, there are many types of coughing up blood, which cannot be ruled out as being related to cancer. Don't panic too much. It is best to understand these possible reasons now.

Why does my child cough up blood?

Bloody sputum (sputum with blood streaks or blood clots) may have the following conditions:

First, the presence of bright red blood in the sputum is often seen in tuberculosis or bronchiectasis, and sometimes this phenomenon can also occur when there is inflammation in the pharynx.

Second, black bloody sputum is often seen in pulmonary infarction.

Third, coughing up bloody foamy sputum may be seen in pulmonary edema.

Fourth, if there is blood in sputum for a long time or it is accompanied by chest pain, fatigue, and weight loss, you should be alert to bronchial lung cancer.

Cough classification and treatment

We can determine the cause of cough based on the duration and coughed-up material: sudden cough is often a protective cough caused by inhaling foreign objects; cough caused by colds often lasts for several days; usually chronic, persistent cough is pathological, and the cause may be smoking, allergy, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, tuberculosis, lung cancer, etc.

The nature, color, and viscosity of the coughed-up material can tell us the nature and severity of the disease. Generally speaking, if a cough is accompanied by back and leg pain, fever, body temperature over 39°C, headache, and sore throat, it can be judged as influenza; if the sputum turns yellow-green, it indicates that the bacteria have ascended and infected the body, mostly upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, sinusitis, etc.; if the cough is accompanied by difficulty breathing, wheezing, and chest tightness, it can be diagnosed as bronchial asthma; if pink bloody sputum or yellow rust-like sputum is coughed up, and accompanied by chest pain, headache, fever, and difficulty breathing, it may be infected with pneumonia.

Hemoptysis is a serious symptom and you should see a doctor immediately if it occurs. The underlying cause may or may not be serious. So you must go to the hospital for a systemic examination. Sometimes bleeding gums or nosebleeds may be mistaken for hemoptysis. Hemoptysis is usually caused by rupture of blood vessels in the nasal cavity, throat, trachea, and lungs. The most common cause is infection, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc. Lung cancer and hemophilia can also cause massive hemoptysis.