My 20 year old son has been spitting up blood. He had a paratonsillar abscess 1 year ago and we looked in his mouth for a reason why he would be spitting up blood. My husband says that the area where the abscess was there is something going on which could cause my son spitting up the blood. I made an appointment with the ENT that took care of the abscess. The doctor did a thorough exam ans stated that there is no abscess or any indication of why my son would be spitting up blood. During his exam, the doctor noticed my son s nodules are enlarged. He sent my son for a chest X-ray as he said that we need to take this serious, which I do. The doctor stated that he may refer my son to a pulmonary doctor and may need to biopsy the lymph nodes. The X-ray shows prominent perihilar markings and hyperexpansion. What does this all mean?
Spitting up blood, swollen glands, and an abnormal chest x-ray indicate a serious process in the lungs. It could be infection (tuberculosis is a big concern), some kind of inflammatory process (similar to lupus), or even cancer. Prominent Hilary markings could be swollen lymph glands in the chest near where the lungs start from the major bronchial tubes. The peritonsillar abscess a year ago is not likely related. He could, however, have an abscess deeper down in the lung passages. Seeing a pulmonary doctor promptly and getting the lymph nodes biopsied is exactly what he should do. Hope this answers your query. If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer them.