Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care (Jun 2013)
June 2013 pulmonary case of the month: diagnosis makes a difference
Abstract
No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. History of Present Illness A 64 year old man from Southern Arizona was referred for a second opinion on a diagnosis of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia that was poorly responsive to corticosteroid therapy. The patient first became ill February 2012 with cough and congestion. His wife was ill at the same time. Both were treated with antibiotics. His wife improved but he never fully recovered with ongoing symptoms of cough and some dyspnea. He was admitted to another hospital in August 2012 due to worsening shortness of breath and pulmonary infiltrates on chest x-ray. During this admission he underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) that demonstrated 78% eosinophils. A video-assisted thorascopic (VATs) lung biopsy was done and the patient was diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. He was begun on therapy with high dose prednisone (80 mg/day) but had only slight improvement in symptoms. He was followed by a pulmonologist and continued …
