Increasing dyspnea and cough in a 77-year-old man with interstitial lung disease

Article Abstract:

A 77-year-old man was diagnosed with lung cancer. The patient was admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath and a dry cough. The shortness of breath had developed two months earlier, and the patient could not walk more than 10 meters, climb more than three stairs, or perform daily tasks without shortness of breath. The patient had recently lost weight, and had occasional chest pain. He had smoked two to three packs of cigarettes a day for 35 years, but quit 20 years earlier, and had been exposed to asbestos. Pulmonary function studies revealed decreased ability to breath air in or out. Chest X-rays and CT scans revealed abnormal changes in the patient's lungs, and the patient's sputum had abnormal cells. A biopsy of the lower lobe of the patient's left lung contained lung cancer cells. The cancer had progressed too far for the patient to benefit from chemotherapy. The patient was released from the hospital and admitted to a hospice.

Author: Mark, Eugene J., Johnson, Douglas C.
Lung cancer

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Acute febrile respiratory illness in a 57-year-old man with recurrent pulmonary disorders

Article Abstract:

A 57-year-old man with a history of lung infections was hospitalized with pneumonia caused by the influenza A virus. He had a history of type 2 diabetes, which may explain why he developed complications from influenza.

Author: Mark, Eugene J., Dolin, Raphael
Influenza, Pneumonia, Complications

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Subjects list: Case studies
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