Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of coughing up blood or blood-stained sputum from the respiratory tract (the bronchi, trachea, or lungs): Haemoptysis is a medical symptom, not a disease itself, and typically indicates an underlying condition affecting the lungs or airways.

Usage

• Haemoptysis is a clinical sign that requires medical evaluation. It is used in medical contexts to describe a symptom reported by a patient or observed by a clinician.
• It is often quantified (e.g., mild, massive) to help determine the severity and potential cause.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient was admitted to the emergency department due to haemoptysis.
  • Persistent haemoptysis can be a sign of tuberculosis or lung cancer.
  • The doctor noted the history of haemoptysis in the patient's chart.

Advanced Usage

• "Massive haemoptysis": A life-threatening medical emergency defined as coughing up a large volume of blood (e.g., >200-600 mL in 24 hours) which can obstruct the airways.
  • The team prepared for a bronchoscopy to manage the massive haemoptysis.
• "Pseudo-haemoptysis": Coughing up blood that originates from a source other than the lower respiratory tract, such as the nose or gastrointestinal tract.
  • The epistaxis (nosebleed) was initially mistaken for haemoptysis.

Variants and Related Words

• Hemoptysis (noun): The American English spelling of . Both spellings are correct and used interchangeably in medical literature.
  • The textbook listed "hemoptysis" as a key symptom.
• Expectoration of blood: A more descriptive, non-technical phrase for coughing up blood.

Synonyms

• Coughing up blood: The direct, non-technical synonym.
• Bloody sputum: Refers specifically to the mucus/phlegm that is coughed up containing blood.

Related Medical Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Haemoptysis vs. Haematemesis: A crucial distinction. means vomiting blood from the gastrointestinal tract, while refers to blood from the respiratory tract.
  • Differentiating between haemoptysis and haematemesis is essential for correct diagnosis.

Noun

1. coughing up blood from the respiratory tract; usually indicates a severe infection of the bronchi or lungs