What causes chest pain and spitting up blood?

Ah, chest pain. Bastard little symptom, isn’t it? As if life wasn’t painful enough already, now we have to deal with our internal organs staging a revolt against us. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse…spits up blood. Great. Just great.

But before you start drafting your will and lining up all of your stuffed animals in order of preference for inheritance (R.I.P Fluffy), let’s take a closer look at what might be causing this particularly unpleasant combo.

Basic Anatomy 101

So, what goes on inside our chests anyway? Well, first off – DO NOT OPEN UP YOUR OWN CHEST TO FIND OUT. Unless you’re some sort of mad scientist or aspiring serial killer (in which case can I recommend therapy?), then it’s probably best to leave that area alone.

Instead, let me break down the basics for ya:

  • Your chest cavity contains several important organs such as the heart, lungs, and esophagus
  • These organs are protected by bones such as the sternum and rib cage
  • Blood vessels called arteries transport oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body
  • Veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart

Now that we’ve got that sorted (and hopefully avoided any major medical mishaps), let’s dive into what might actually cause some issues in this area.

The Dreaded Heart Attack

Yes folks,chest pain could be indicative of a possible heart attack! Cue dramatic music and panicked hyperventilating. Ok ok don’t panic – take deep breaths instead please!

A heart attack occurs when there is a blockage in one or more coronary arteries which supply vital oxygenated blood to the heart muscle itself…

Wait…you glazed over didn’t you? Let me try that again in English. Basically – your heart muscle needs blood to keep beating, and if there’s not enough blood getting through because of a blockage it can cause damage to the muscle or even kill part of it.

And how does this relate to chest pain? Well, when your heart isn’t getting enough oxygenated blood you may experience symptoms such as pressure, tightness or squeezing in the chest which could be mistaken for normal everyday pains…until they radiate out into other areas like your arms/back/neck/jaw (aka angina).

Furthermore, coughing up bloody mucus (hemoptysis) is reported by some who suffer from certain heart conditions where tissues become congested with fluids including pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure within the arteries carrying blood from your heart to your lungs) or left ventricular failure due to coronary artery disease.

The Lungs Are Not Happy

Let’s switch gears for a second and consider that perhaps our little spitting friend is actually trying to tell us something about our respiratory system instead…

Chest pain could also indicate different types of lung issues:

1. Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism :n. A condition where one or more arteries going towards lungs get obstructed by substances usually developed somewhere else in body travelled through veins.

In plain English: You have stuff floating around inside you that has decided it would rather sit in your lung’s arteries than continue on its merry way elsewhere.

This obstruction can cause difficulty breathing, sharp pain when breathing deeply/coughing/moving (pleuritic chest pain), bloody sputum (see! Told ya he had a story), and even life-threatening shock due to low circulation levels.

Risk factors:

  • Sitting still for long periods of time
  • Recent surgery especially bone fracture repairs
  • Cancer treatment
  • Genetic predisposition

Don’t wait to spot these symptoms, because PE won’t hesitate in taking you down with him!

2. Pneumonia

As if the idea of spitting up blood alone isn’t disturbing enough, adding chest pain to it makes for an alarming scenario. This might very well indicate a case of pneumonia.

Pneumonia is caused by pathogens(e.g : bacteria, viruses) infiltrating your lungs and inflaming air sacs inside thereby making it tougher for oxygen to get into bloodstream.

Sounds like a dream right? Couple this inflammation with coughing and we may face damaged or even ruptures small blood vessels nourishing our airways leading to bloody sputum – something that is definitely not included on my breakfast menu!

Risk factors:

  • Weakened immune system (due to say cancer/AIDS medications)
  • Pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma.

Musculoskeletal Mishaps

But wait there’s more! That’s right folks,chest pain could also be due to musculoskeletal issues too, which basically means problems related joints/muscles/bones where shared nerves causing referred discomforts much farther away from particular area of injury. Who knew one symptom could have so many possibilities?

Costochondritis

A favorite mouthful term here…costochondritis occurs when inflammation affects areas around cartilage tissues attaching ribs together typically after trauma/chest infection/fibromyalgia/whilst partaking in excessive love-making, resulting in myriad complications including nausea and vomiting along with frighteningly sharp chest pains.

This can actually mimic the feeling of angina, #not cool# but usually addressed pretty easily through changes soft tissue preservation techniques.

Wrap Up

Well looks like we’ve covered quite some ground here eh? Remember though — never disregard any unexplained chest pains especially accompanied by spitting up blood – both are crucial signs indicative healthcare attention might need that any negligent behavior will only aggravate.

Take care of yourself and above all, stay healthy ya crazy kids!

Disclaimer

No Fluffys were harmed during the creation of this article.

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