<s>[INST] Hi, I am a smoker for almost 10 years. I almost consume 20-30 sticks per day. Recently, I got back pains and started to smoke little less, almost 10 sticks only for the past 3 days. I noticed that I'm coughing out phlegm with blood. What can be the cause of this? Need help. [/INST] Thanks for your question on Healthcare Magic. I can understand your concern. You are having hemoptysis (blood in sputum). Common causes for hemoptysis are bronchitis, lung infection, tuberculosis, lung cancer etc. And all these diseases are predisposed by smoking. So your smoking habit is directly associated with your symptoms. So better to quit smoking as soon as possible and consult pulmonologist and get done chest x ray, sputum examination and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test). Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks. </s>