PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Eileen Wedge AU - Ed Abrahamson AU - Gareth Tudor-Williams AU - Simon Nadel AU - Jane Deal TI - When water is thicker than blood: recognising a systemic cause of haemoptysis AID - 10.1136/archdischild-2015-308957 DP - 2017 Aug 01 TA - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition PG - 210--219 VI - 102 IP - 4 4099 - http://ep.bmj.com/content/102/4/210.short 4100 - http://ep.bmj.com/content/102/4/210.full SO - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed2017 Aug 01; 102 AB - The case of an 11-year-old child presenting with acute haemoptysis and breathlessness is described. The girl was Malaysian and had recently arrived in the UK. She subsequently deteriorated, developing respiratory failure. The course of the illness is described, with reference to the diagnostic process at each stage. The case demonstrates the importance of having a broad investigatory approach in acute haemoptysis.