Spot Dx — Lung story short: blame the vape
Jarrod, a 35-year-old office worker, initially presents with cough, dyspnoea and diffuse crackles on examination.
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<p>Jarrod, a 35-year-old office worker, initially presents with cough, dyspnoea and diffuse crackles on examination. </p><p>He has no medical history of note and takes no regular medications. He has a five-year history of daily nicotine e-cigarette use. </p><p>Initial examination reveals diffuse bibasal crackles, and chest imaging shows bilateral ground-glass opacities. There is no evidence of an infective cause. </p><p>He is diagnosed with vaping-associated pneumonitis and treated with corticosteroids, with initial symptomatic improvement. </p><p>Two weeks later, he re-presents with sudden-onset pleuritic chest pain and acute dyspnoea after a bout of coughing. </p><p>On examination, he is tachypnoeic with decreased breath sounds on the right side. His repeat X-ray is pictured.</p>
Dr Kate Kelso is a GP and medical editor at Australian Doctor.