Hemoptysis: differential diagnosis in the practice of a family doctor

Hemoptysis is the expectoration of sputum with blood from the larynx, bronchi, or lungs. Hemoptysis is most often caused by diseases of the respiratory tract and lungs: bronchitis, pneumonia, lung cancer, aspergilloma, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary embolism, etc. In the diagnostic search for the cause of hemoptysis, it is important to take a detailed history (in the case of an epidemiological history — a laboratory analysis of sputum to detect the causative agent of an infectious disease), interpret patient complaints correctly, and assess the nature of sputum (differential diagnosis with bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract). An X-ray of the chest organs is performed, and then, computed tomography, bronchoscopy, and other studies are carried out according to indications. The article presents an algorithm for differential diagnostic search in a patient with hemoptysis.