Article Text
Abstract
We report a case of primary pulmonary cryptococcosis in a 59-year-old female patient with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus, interstitial lung disease and glaucoma. She presented with a cough, severe fatigue, unintentional weight loss, shortness of breath (increase in home oxygen use from baseline) and pleuritic chest pain of 2 months duration. During these 2 months, her symptoms had worsened despite multiple hospital visits, empirical antibiotics and empirical increase of her steroid dosage. Cytopathology of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed yeast cells with narrow-based budding and grew Cryptococcus neoformans on fungal culture. She was treated with oral fluconazole 400 mg/day for 6 months with an improvement in cough, decrease in shortness of breath (return to baseline oxygen use) and resolution of pleuritic chest pain.
- pneumonia (infectious disease)
- rheumatology
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- cryptococcus
- pathology
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Footnotes
Contributors All the three authors of the case report have contributed to the following areas. The names of the authors are mentioned in the order of their contribution to the individual areas. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content: RG, SL, EO’N. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data: RG, EO’N, SL. Final approval of the version published: all the authors have contributed equally. The authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. The authors also ensure that the questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.