Haemoptysis is the coughing up of blood originating from the respiratory tract. It is a common and worrying clinical symptom which can be due to different aetiologies including lung cancer, tuberculosis, COPD, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, acute bronchitis or unknown origin (cryptogenic haemoptysis). Epidemiology and optimal diagnostic approach are largely unclear. Aims of this study are to define current epidemiology and to provide the best diagnostic approach by providing a diagnostic algorithm.