i am a 20 year old male. light smoker - 3 cigarrettes a day. recently i have been waking up in the morning with tightness/slight pain in the chest and a weird tightness in the stomach area. also a chronic cough/clearing of the throat. this morning i coughed up a small amount of bright blood, which was a bit shocking. what could this be a symptom of? there is no history of lung cancer in my family but i realise this might not mean much..
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. Since you are smoker, possibility of bronchitis is more for your hemoptysis (blood in sputum). I don't think you are having lung cancer as you are too young (20 years) for lung cancer. But better to consult pulmonologist and get done 1. Clinical examination of respiratory system 2. Chest x-ray 3. PUT (pulmonary function test). Chest x-ray is must rule out lung cancer. PFT is needed for the diagnosis of bronchitis. You might need inhaled bronchodilator and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). And please quit smoking as soon as possible as this is not a good habit. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.