Frequently of Hemoptysis Causes and some Associated Risk Factors in Patients Admitted to Sayyad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan, Iran (2014-16)

Hemoptysis is defined as the expectoration of blood from the lower respiratory tract. Bronchiolitis, bronchogenic carcinoma, and bronchiectasis are the most common causes of hemoptysis in developed countries, while infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are the most common cause in endemic countries. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of causes of hemoptysis and some related factors.

This descriptive-analytical study was done on 68 patients (37 men and 31 women, average age 56.85±17.27 years) who were referred to the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan, north of Iran during 2014-16 with the complaint of hemoptysis. Demographic information, cause of hemoptysis and history of illness or drug abuse were extracted from the patients’ records.

Based on the results, 42.6%, 45.6%, and 17.6% of the patients had a history of smoking, drug abuse, and diabetes, respectively. The most frequent causes of hemoptysis were bronchiectasis (25%), pneumonia (20.6%), tuberculosis, and lung cancer (16.4%). Gender was determined as an independent risk factor for hemoptysis (P<0.05). The most common causes of hemoptysis were bronchiectasis, lung cancer and pneumonia in men, and tuberculosis and bronchiectasis in women. Age, drug abuse, smoking, and diabetes had no significant association with the occurrence of hemoptysis.

Bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer are the main causes of hemoptysis, and gender is an independent risk factor for hemoptysis in the study area.