A 67-year-old male had a cough with blood in his sputum for 2 months.

Generally speaking, if men have smoked before reaching a certain age, they may have serious lung problems, such as constant coughing and lung cancer. Men aged 67 are considered old, and the various cells in their bodies have begun to age gradually. If you find that you cough with blood in your sputum and it lasts for two months, you should go to the hospital for a check-up. Let's take a closer look.

Causes

1. It may be due to the dry climate, which is related to the season.

2. Chronic pharyngitis may also cause blood in the sputum, especially during an attack.

3. Acute and chronic infections of the trachea and bronchi.

4. Rare diseases such as tumors, tuberculosis, and bronchiectasis cannot be ruled out. Bronchiectasis is the destruction of the muscle and elastic components of the proximal medium-sized bronchial walls, resulting in abnormal and irreversible dilation and deformation of the lumen.

5. Other possible diseases include: hypertrophic pharyngitis, actinomycosis, hydatidiform mole, Kartagener syndrome, pulmonary fasciitis, etc.

Clinical manifestations

In addition to blood-streaked sputum, the following are symptoms of the primary disease:

1. Hypertrophic pharyngitis

Dryness and itching in the throat, foreign body sensation in the throat, dry cough, sore throat, etc.

2. Actinomycosis

Subcutaneous nodules, edema, abscesses, difficulty opening the mouth, headache, sputum, etc.

3. Pulmonary filariasis

Cough, sputum, fatigue, chest tightness, itching, headache, abdominal pain, etc.

Diagnosis

If the sputum contains blood, you should be careful to distinguish whether it is from the nasal cavity, trachea, or oral cavity. Most of the blood from the nasal cavity is spit out by sucking back the mucus into the mouth. The blood from the trachea and bronchi is coughed out. When you get up in the morning, do not cough or suck the mucus, but spit out a mouthful of saliva to see if there is blood. If there is, it means that the blood is from the mouth. At this time, you can check whether there is bleeding from the teeth and gums. If not, it may come from the nasal cavity or blood vessels. First, you can go to the ENT department to check the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, especially pay attention to the nasopharynx, then check the throat to see if there is bleeding, coagulation, or diseases that can cause bleeding, and finally check the lungs, trachea, bronchi, etc.

Differential diagnosis

Blood in sputum should be distinguished from the following symptoms:

1. Bloody sputum

Bloody sputum means sputum with blood and blood clots. Sputum with bright red blood is often seen in tuberculosis or bronchiectasis, and sometimes this phenomenon can also occur when there is inflammation in the pharynx.

2. Rotten peach-like bloody sputum

Rotten peach-colored bloody sputum is a common clinical manifestation of pulmonary paragonimiasis. Pulmonary paragonimiasis, also known as lung paragonimiasis, is an acute or chronic endemic parasitic disease caused by Paragonimiasis. The parasites mainly parasitize in the lungs, with cough and rotten peach-colored sputum as the main manifestations. It can also parasitize in various tissues and organs, such as the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, abdominal cavity and subcutaneous tissue, producing corresponding symptoms.

3. Coughing up blood and sputum

Most respiratory diseases have symptoms of coughing and expectoration. The sputum can be grayish white mucus or yellowish green purulent. Sometimes the sputum coughed up contains bright red blood, which is called hemoptysis. In medicine, hemoptysis refers to bleeding from the trachea, bronchus or lung tissue below the larynx that is coughed out of the body.