The report of haemoptysis as a presenting feature of hepatic-pulmonary disease [
[1]
] is testimony to the importance of hepatic-pulmonary disease in the differential
diagnosis of haemoptysis. This differential diagnosis includes amoebic liver abscess,
which presented with recurrent bouts of haemoptysis of such severity as to require
2 units blood transfusion. Subsequently, however, in contrast to the patient's description
of the sputum, some clinicians found it to be thick reddish in colour, with plenty
of degenerate cells mixed with red blood cells. On examination, the patient, a 32 year
old man, documented as being a “smoker and alcoholic”, had soft tender hepatomegaly
with a span of 18 cm. Chest x-ray revealed a homogenous opacity involving the right
lower lung field. Subsequent investigation revealed evidence of a hepato-bronchial
fistula [
- Catano J.C.
- Agredo D.K.
Hepatic-pulmonary disease.
Eur. J. Intern. Med. 2012; https://doi.org/10.1016/l.ejm2018.12.013
[2]
]. The association of cirrhosis-related portal hypertension and bronchial varices
is another important cause of haemoptysis attributable to hepatopulmonary disease
[
- Talukdar A.
- Mukherjee K.
- Khanna D.
- Saha M.
An unusual cause of haemoptysis: a diagnostic challenge.
BMJ Case Rep. 2012; https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2012-006751
[3]
].Keywords
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References
- Hepatic-pulmonary disease.Eur. J. Intern. Med. 2012; https://doi.org/10.1016/l.ejm2018.12.013
- An unusual cause of haemoptysis: a diagnostic challenge.BMJ Case Rep. 2012; https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2012-006751
- Haematemesis, haemoptysis, or both?.Lancet. 2013; 381: 346
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 04, 2019
Accepted:
January 31,
2019
Received:
January 5,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
