Conditions Back ConditionsDrugs & Supplements Back Drugs & SupplementsWell-Being Back Well-BeingMore Back More Privacy & More Subscribe Log In Search Subscribe Hemoptysis (Coughing Up Blood)Written by Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on February 14, 20254 min readWhat Is Hemoptysis?Hemoptysis is when you cough up blood from your lungs. It can be a sign of a serious medical condition. Infections, cancer, and problems in blood vessels in your lungs can cause it. You need to see a doctor if you’re coughing up blood.Hemoptysis is divided into types based on how much blood you cough up over 24 hours. But in some cases, it can be hard to tell.Life-threatening or massive hemoptysis.Hemoptysis is also considered to be life-threatening when it blocks the breathing passages or prevents the lungs from being able to take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Different experts have different guidelines for what this type involves. They range from 150 milliliters (mL) of blood to over 600 mL, or about a pint.Non-life-threatening or non-massive hemoptysis. This is also known as moderate or submassive hemoptysis. You may cough up between 20 and 150 mL (about a cup) of blood.Scant or mild hemoptysis. You cough up less than 20 mL, less than a tablespoon.Hemoptysis CausesMany things can make you cough up blood. Common causes include:Bronchitis, either short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic)Damaged airways (bronchiectasis), especially because of cystic fibrosisPneumoniaTuberculosisChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Other causes include:Crack cocaine useForeign objects in your airwaysInflammatory or autoimmune conditions (such as lupus, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Goodpasture disease, or Behcet disease)Lung abscessNon-cancerous lung tumorsParasitic infectionPulmonary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)Pulmonary embolismAn injury like a gunshot wound or car accidentUse of (anticoagulants)EndometriosisHughes-Stovin syndromeHereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasiaSarcoidosisIn some cases, doctors can’t find a cause, but the hemoptysis usually goes away within 6 months.Hemoptysis vs. Similar ConditionsYour doctor will need to find out whether the blood is coming from your lungs, which is hemoptysis, or from your upper respiratory tract or upper digestive tract. This is called pseudohemoptysis. Or you could be vomiting blood, which is known as hematemesis.Hemoptysis causes sputum (the material you cough up) that’s bright red or pink and frothy.Pseudohemoptysis looks very similar. Tests might be the only way to tell the difference.Hematemesis brings up material that’s darker and looks like coffee grounds. It may be mixed with bits of food. When to see a doctorCall your doctor if you are coughing up any blood. They will be able to tell if it is serious or not. Signs that it might be serious include:Blood in mucus that lasts longer than a week, is severe or getting worse, or comes and goes over timeWeight lossSoaking sweats at nightFever higher than 101 degreesShortness of breath with your usual activity level Hemoptysis Diagnosis and TestsIf you’re coughing up blood, your doctor will do one or more of these:Medical history and physical exam . This helps them gather clues to identify the cause.Chest X-ray. This can show whether there’s a mass in your chest or areas of fluid or congestion in your lungs.CT scan . With detailed images of the inside of your chest, this test may reveal some causes for coughing up blood.Bronchoscopy . Your doctor runs a flexible tube with a camera on its end, called a bronchoscope, through your nose or mouth and into your windpipe and airways.Complete blood count (CBC). This test checks the number of white and red blood cells in your blood, along with platelets (cells that help ).Urinalysis . Some causes of hemoptysis also show up on this simple urine test.Blood chemistry profile. This test measures electrolytes and how well your kidneys are working.Coagulation tests. Changes to your blood’s ability to clot, or coagulate, can lead to bleeding and coughing up blood.Arterial blood gas. This test measures the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. Oxygen levels can be low in people coughing up blood.Pulse oximetry. A probe (usually on a finger) tests the level of oxygen in your blood.Hemoptysis TreatmentsTreatment for hemoptysis depends on how much blood you’re coughing up and what’s causing it. Life-threatening or massive hemoptysisYour doctor will move you into the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). They may have you see a pulmonologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon, doctors who specialize in the chest and respiratory tract.Your first treatment could include:A tube that goes into your airways (intubation)Extra oxygen (ventilation and oxygenation)A body position in which the lung with possible bleeding is lower than the other lungWhen your doctor finds the source of the bleeding, they might try to stop it with:Iced salineMedications to narrow blood vessels (vasoconstrictors) like epinephrine or vasopressinMedicines to help blood clot (coagulants) like tranexamic acidTiny balloons or cuffs to put pressure on the area (bronchial blockade or balloon tamponade)Laser therapyArgon plasma coagulation (APC)CryotherapyEmbolizationIn rare cases, you may need surgery. This could involve:Taking out one section (lobe) of your lungRemoving the entire lungLonger-term treatments may include:Antibiotics for pneumonia or tuberculosis or radiation for lung cancerSteroids for inflammatory conditions If you have very thin blood because of medications, you may need transfusions of blood products or other medications to ease blood loss.Nonlife-threatening or nonmassive hemoptysisTreatment for the underlying condition will usually take care of bleeding that isn’t dangerous. If you have bronchitis, the most common cause of hemoptysis, your doctor may give you antibiotics. They might also recommend cough medicine.If you smoke cigarettes, . It’s the best thing you can do for hemoptysis and for your overall health. SourcesUpdate HistorySharePrintSOURCES:Mason, R. Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 5th edition, Saunders, 2010.Cahill, B.C. Clinics in Chest Medicine, 1994; vol 15: pp 147-167.Hirshberg, B. Chest, 1997; vol 112: pp 440-444.Adelman, M. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1985; vol 102: pp 829-834.Chang, J.C. Sarcoidosis, 1987; vol 4: pp 49-54.Merck Manual Consumer Version: “Coughing Up Blood.”UpToDate: “Etiology and Evaluation of Hemoptysis in Adults,” “Airway Foreign Bodies in Adults.”Mayo Clinic: “Coughing Up Blood.”Cleveland Clinic: “Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA, formerly called Wegener’s).”UpToDate: “Evaluation of nonlife-threatening hemoptysis in adults,” “Etiology of hemoptysis,” “Evaluation and management of life-threatening hemoptysis,” “Patient education: Coughing up blood (The Basics).”American Family Physician: “Hemoptysis: Diagnosis and Management.”Henderson, M. The Patient History: An Evidence-Based Approach to Differential Diagnosis, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, 2012.Clinical Pulmonary Medicine: “Hemoptysis as an Initial Presentation in Sarcoidosis: How Common Is It?: A Review.”BMJ Best Practice: “Evaluation of hemoptysis: Summary.”Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: “Pulmonary Resection in the Treatment of Life-Threatening Hemoptysis.” SharePrintMore On Lung Disease and Respiratory Health Recommended FEATURED Top doctors in , Find more top doctors on Search Related LinksPoliciesAboutFor Advertisers © 2005 - 2025 WebMD LLC, an company. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. , Coughing up blood, also known as hemoptysis, can be a sign of a serious medical condition. Learn more about the causes, diagnostic tests, and treatments for hemoptysis., Most of the lung’s blood (95%) circulates through low-pressure pulmonary arteries and ends up in the pulmonary capillary bed, where gas is exchanged. About 5% of the blood supply circulates through high-pressure bronchial arteries, which originate at the aorta and supply major airways and supporting structures. In hemoptysis, the blood generally arises from this bronchial circulation, except when pulmonary arteries are damaged by trauma, by erosion of a granulomatous or calcified lymph .