Always let your doctor know if you have coughed up blood, and seek medical help immediately if there is more than a teaspoonful (around 5ml).
Coughing up blood is known as haemoptysis. It is a common symptom of aspergillosis, as bleeding can happen when the fungus erodes the walls of the lungs and damages the underlying arteries.
It is important to find out where the blood has originated from. Blood from the lungs tends to be bright red and frothy, while inhaled blood from the digestive system is more often darker brown and may look like coffee grounds.
For larger volumes of blood, a patient may need to be admitted to hospital in order to be stabilised. For small volumes, some patients are given a supply of tranexamic acid to stop the bleeding at home instead of going into hospital. Other treatments include bronchial artery embolization, surgery or radiotherapy.
