Coughing chocolate-colored phlegm

Introduction Sputum is a mucus secreted by the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (bronchial, tracheal, larynx, and nose). Under normal circumstances, the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract secretes a small amount of mucus to maintain the moisturization of the respiratory tract. The dipping solution can also act as a barrier. It can stick to germs and dust, foreign matter, etc. that invade the respiratory tract. Because there is a large amount of "lysozyme" in the mucus, it can kill the bacteria. Normal people generally do not cough, only a few people get up early in the morning can have a small amount of sputum cough, its color is clear and transparent, is a normal phenomenon. When the respiratory tract changes abnormally, or at different times of the same disease, the amount, quality, taste, etc. of the sputum changes. Therefore, if you carefully observe these changes in your daily life, you can distinguish the disease. Reddish-brown or chocolate-colored sputum, seen in the amebic disease of the lung caused by the amoebic abscess that penetrates into the lungs.

Cause

The chocolate color is a homogeneous mixture of blood and pus, found in the amoebic lung abscess. Amoebic lung abscess, which belongs to the extraintestinal amebiasis (extraintestinal amoebiasis), is rare. Most of them are directly spread from the amoebic liver abscess through the sputum. A few are amoebic trophozoites. It is formed by the flow of blood to the lungs. The abscess is mostly located in the right lower lobe of the right lung, often a single hair. Because the diaphragm is worn out, the lung abscess often communicates with the liver abscess. The abscess cavity contains brown necrotic liquefied material, such as broken into the bronchial tubes, and the necrotic material is discharged to form a cavity. Clinically, patients have symptoms similar to tuberculosis, coughing up brown pus-like sputum, which can be found in amebic trophozoites.

an examination

Related inspection

Sputum routine examination sputum bacteria culture culture sputum color

Pulmonary amebiasis: chest pain, may have radiation pain in the shoulder and back, dry cough with a small amount of sticky or purulent, cough in the lung abscess is a typical chocolate color, and high fever, night sweats, loss of appetite and other systemic symptoms, After the amebic liver abscess broke into the lungs and bronchus, it suddenly coughed up a lot of chocolate-colored purulent sputum with severe chest pain and difficulty in breathing, occasionally pleural shock, eventually forming a hepatic sacral sacral cavity, and also wearing the skin to form the liver, licking the skin , viscous chocolate color pus, long-term unhealed, physical examination can have right lung consolidation, respiratory sounds weakened, wet rales or pleural effusion, combined with liver abscess can have liver tenderness, 50% combined with warts Refers to.

Differential diagnosis

Colorless transparent or gray-white mucus is seen in normal people, mild inflammation of the bronchial mucosa.

Yellow or green sticky tips suggest a purulent infection in the respiratory tract. Green sputum is often caused by bile, degenerative hemoglobin or pyocyanin. It is found in jaundice, slow-absorbing pneumococcal pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

Bloody sputum is seen in lung cancer, tuberculosis, and bronchiectasis.

Rust-colored sputum, seen in pneumococcal pneumonia.

Pink or bloody foam glimpses acute pulmonary edema.

Jam-like mites are found in paragonimiasis, gray or black sputum, found in various pneumoconiosis, such as coal pneumoconiosis.

Brown sputum, seen in the pulmonary infarction, the lungs contain iron and blood yellowing.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.