Wheeze in the time of COVID-19: overcoming obstacles to an unusual diagnosis
This case is an example of a rare cause of a common clinical presentation (persistent lobar collapse with wheeze). We describe patient management from primary care through to a national thoracic referral centre. We highlight the importance of objective testing to support an asthma diagnosis and the...
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Published in | Thorax Vol. 77; no. 10; pp. 1050 - 1053 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
01.10.2022
BMJ Publishing Group LTD |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | This case is an example of a rare cause of a common clinical presentation (persistent lobar collapse with wheeze). We describe patient management from primary care through to a national thoracic referral centre. We highlight the importance of objective testing to support an asthma diagnosis and the need to consider alternative or additional diagnoses if a patient does not respond to treatment or the clinical course is unexpected. We highlight the importance of follow-up X-ray to determine whether atelectasis has resolved, which was significantly delayed in this case due to COVID-19 restrictions. Though rare, an endobronchial tumour should be considered if atelectasis persists and when planning endoscopy for a presumed foreign body, especially if the clinical history and patient factors make a foreign body less likely. Greater awareness of this as a differential may expedite diagnoses for patients in future. We show how virtual, multicentre, multidisciplinary meetings can aid rapid diagnosis, surgical planning and coordination of follow-up across centres. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0040-6376 1468-3296 |
DOI: | 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-218526 |