Case 5-1994

Presentation of Case A 34-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of a dry cough, exertional dyspnea, and interstitial pulmonary disease. The patient had been well until three months earlier, when she experienced the insidious onset of fatigue and mild exertional dyspnea. An antibiotic was prescribed, with temporary improvement. Two months before entry she began to have mild night sweats and had an intermittent low-grade fever. Two weeks before admission a cough developed, and the dyspnea worsened slightly; a physician prescribed clarithromycin and an inhaler, without improvement. On the day of admission the patient was seen at another hospital, . . .