Coughing up grey mucus could be a symptom of a whole host of ailments involving the chest. The dark grey appearance usually signals the presence of blood in the mucus bought up from the lungs.
If you are a heavy smoker though sometimes the dark looking liquid is tar which has formed on the wall of the lungs. This will generally work its way out of your system in time but it is recommended that you quit smoking during your period of recovery.
There are many other conditions however, which can involve the process of hemoptysis, or the coughing up of blooded mucus. These include bronchitis and pneumonia most commonly, but also lung neoplasm, aspergilloma, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, coccidioidomycosis, pulmonary embolism, pneumonic plague and Cystic Fibrosis. Rarer causes include hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, or Goodpasture's syndrome and Wegener's granulomatosis.
Treatment depends largely upon the underlying cause of the problem. Many different types of treatment can be used, like iced saline or topical vasoconstrictors, such as adrenalin or vasopressin. Selective bronchial intubation can be applied to collapse the particular lung in which the hemorrhage is occurring. Laser photocoagulation can be used to stop bleeding during bronchoscopy. Angiography of bronchial arteries can be performed to locate the bleeding, and it can often be stemmed externally, surgical option is usually the last resort however.
Due to the fact that so many illnesses can cause this problem it is strongly recommended that you seek medical advice immediately so that a doctor can diagnose the problem and decide on an appropriate treatment.
If you are a heavy smoker though sometimes the dark looking liquid is tar which has formed on the wall of the lungs. This will generally work its way out of your system in time but it is recommended that you quit smoking during your period of recovery.
There are many other conditions however, which can involve the process of hemoptysis, or the coughing up of blooded mucus. These include bronchitis and pneumonia most commonly, but also lung neoplasm, aspergilloma, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, coccidioidomycosis, pulmonary embolism, pneumonic plague and Cystic Fibrosis. Rarer causes include hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, or Goodpasture's syndrome and Wegener's granulomatosis.
Treatment depends largely upon the underlying cause of the problem. Many different types of treatment can be used, like iced saline or topical vasoconstrictors, such as adrenalin or vasopressin. Selective bronchial intubation can be applied to collapse the particular lung in which the hemorrhage is occurring. Laser photocoagulation can be used to stop bleeding during bronchoscopy. Angiography of bronchial arteries can be performed to locate the bleeding, and it can often be stemmed externally, surgical option is usually the last resort however.
Due to the fact that so many illnesses can cause this problem it is strongly recommended that you seek medical advice immediately so that a doctor can diagnose the problem and decide on an appropriate treatment.
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