Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial collapse of the pharyngeal airway, resulting in airflow limitation and disrupted sleep architecture through repeated short awakening periods. Recent reports have suggested an association between chronic cough and OSA, but little is known about the association of OSA with hemoptysis. The repetitive upper airway obstruction during sleep is the hallmark of OSA. Consequently, untreated OSA can perpetuate chronic cough and eventually lead to non-massive hemoptysis. Common causes for chronic cough in nonsmokers with normal chest radiographs include upper airway cough syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and cough-variant asthma. We present a case of cough-related OSA and hemoptysis, which was previously diagnosed and treated as cough-variant asthma. The initiation of nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) resulted not only in the resolution of sleep apneas and hypopneas but also in the resolution of the chronic cough and hemoptysis.
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All authors contributed to the manuscript writing and editing. Nillian Zamot wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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I confirm that the authors of the manuscript “Hemoptysis as the Presenting Sign of Undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea” made every attempt to obtain written authorization, but the patient expired, and the authors were unable to contact any of the patient’s family members. This manuscript contains no patient identifiers and is anonymous. It is compliant with all relevant HIPAA, Common Rule, and institutional regulations. If any further questions, Dr. Christopher N. Ochner (Division Director of Research at HCA East Florida Division) can be contacted at 305-487-5067 or via email at Christopher.Ochner@hcahealthcare.com.
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Zamot, N., Reyes, A., Vazquez-Saad, H. et al. Hemoptysis as the Presenting Sign of Undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea. SN Compr. Clin. Med. 2, 346–348 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00224-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00224-0