Descrizione

Haemoptysis means coughing up blood that originates at a bleeding site somewhere along the respiratory tract. The amount of haemoptysis may vary from scant bloody streaks up to life-threatening massive bleeding. There are plenty of reasons for haemoptysis and the reason should always be unravelled. A young non-smoking patient with haemoptysis that is clearly associated with pneumonia and with a normalized follow-up chest x-ray does usually not require referral for further investigations.