Cough and Hemoptysis

Abstract

Cough is one of the most common complaints that brings patients to seek medical attention, resulting in 30 to 50 million visits annually. Cough can be divided into three categories based on chronicity: namely acute, subacute, and chronic. Treatment of cough depends on the chronicity and etiology of the cough. Similarly, hemoptysis is a common occurrence, albeit less frequent than cough. Like cough, the treatment is dependent on etiology.  Hemoptysis must always be taken seriously as death may occur from massive hemoptysis and result from asphyxiation. Whenever possible, attempts must be made to control massive hemorrhage by interventional techniques. This review contains 6 figures, 3 tables, and 69 references. Keywords: Cough, Hemoptysis, Smoking, Chest pain, GERD, Asthma, Hemorrhage, mucus, tracheoinnominate