[Clinical characteristics and etiology in hemoptysis in a pneumology service. 291 cases]

The aim of this work is to determine the clinical characteristics of haemoptysis and their principal aetiologies in a retrospective study of 291 cases collected over 5 years and occurring in adults who were hospitalised in a pneumology service. The annual incidence of haemoptysis was 8.8% of the in-patient population. The mean age of the patients was 46 and 47% were less than 50. The males were most frequent (69.4%) and haemoptysis was the presenting feature in 35.4%; it was minimal in 71.1% of average quantity in 26.8% and severe in 2.1%. The thoracic radiograph was judged abnormal in all cases and the abnormalities noted were suggestive of a particular aetiology in 70.8% of cases. The aetiological cause was dominated by bronchial cancer and of active pulmonary tuberculosis or its sequalae with levels of 34.4% and 18.9% respectively. For the other causes bronchial dilatation was important with 15.1% and hydatic cysts another 9.3%. Other aetiologies were represented by bacterial pneumonias with or without abscesses 7.2%, pulmonary aspergilloma 6.9%, chronic bronchitis with or without emphysema 3.5% and by rare causes in 4 cases. The cause for the haemoptysis was not found in 3.1%. This study brings out the preponderant place of bronchial cancer as a cause of haemoptysis in a country which still has a high prevalence of tuberculosis. Nevertheless the existence of tuberculosis services where the greater part of tuberculosis patients are hospitalised explains in part the predominance of bronchial cancer increasing very rapidly in our service.