[Current etiologies of hemoptysis in the elderly: comparative study of 360 cases].

Background: Hemoptysis is an alarming symptom. The etiology of hemoptysis varies among different series according to time of publications, geographic location and diagnosis tests employed but also according to the age of patients.

Aim: To describe the etiologies of hemoptysis in elderly

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients admitted to three respiratory departments (B, I and C) in Abderrahmen Mami hospital between January 2003 and December 2007.

Results: Of the 360 patients hospitalized for hemoptysis, 248 were aged 18-64 years and 112 were aged more than 65 years. At the term of our study, bronchiectasis (21% versus 11.6%, p<0.03) and hydatid cyst (6% versus 0%, p<0.007) were the most common causes of hemoptysis in people less than 65, while tuberculosis sequel (20.5% versus 5.4%, p<0.01) and pulmonary oedema (16.9% versus 0.4%, p<0.001) were significantly more frequent in the elderly. There was no difference between the two groups concerning lung cancer (25% in patients less than 65 years versus 16.9% in elderly, p=NS), infections (10.5% in patients less than 65 years versus 12.5% in elderly, p=NS) and pulmonary tuberculosis (14.1% in patients less than 65 years versus 4.5% in elderly, p=NS).

Conclusion: Elderly patients are more likely than younger patients to have tuberculosis sequel and pulmonary oedema as an etiology of their hemoptysis, while bronchiectasis and hydatid cyst were more common in patients less than 65 years. The results of our study will allow us to better prioritize the investigations necessary to etiological diagnosis.