Haemoptysis

Question 1

Describe the airway disease causes of haemoptysis

Answer 1

• Acute/chronic bronchitis in smokers
• Bronchogenic carcinoma
• Metastatic cancer
• Bronchiectasis
• Bronchial adenomas/carcinoids
• Sarcoidosis
• Kaposi’s sarcoma

Question 2

Describe the parenchymal disease causes of haemoptysis

Answer 2

Infections:

• TB, pneumonia
• Lung abscess
• Aspergilloma

Auto-immune:

• Vasculitis with granulomatosis
• Goodpasture’s syndrome
• CVDs (Rheumatoid, SLE, Scleroderma)
• Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis

Question 3

Describe the vascular causes of haemoptysis

Answer 3

• Pulmonary infarction
• Elevated pulmonary venous pressure (heart failure, mitral stenosis)
• Ateriovenous malformations
• Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease

Question 4

Describe some miscellaneous causes of haemoptysis

Answer 4

• Impaired coagulation (over-anticoagulation)
• Trauma (e.g. post-intubation)
• “Idiopathic” haemoptysis