Chest
Volume 156, Issue 6, December 2019, Pages e121-e126
Journal home page for Chest

Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Pearls
A Man in His 20s With Cough, Unilateral Pleural Effusion, and Nodular Pleural Thickening

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.05.040Get rights and content

Case Presentation

A man in his 20s presented to the ED after several months of progressive dyspnea, dry cough, and night sweats. He had no chest pain, fevers, weight loss, or sick contacts. He was previously healthy and took no medications. Social history was notable for 5 pack-years of tobacco use. The patient was sexually active with male partners and had a recent partner infected with human T-lymphotropic virus. The patient worked in set design and window installations, and wore a respirator when working around solvents and resins. From ages 2 to 7 years, he frequently visited buildings at his parents’ workplace that were undergoing asbestos abatement. From ages 7 to 24 years, he frequently visited pottery studios where talc-containing products were used. He frequently visited northern Massachusetts, and infections with Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella henselae were common in family members. His stepfather had recently been infected with Anaplasma. There was no family history of cancer.

Cited by (0)

View Abstract