Title

A 33-Year-Old Man With Shortness of Breath, Leukocytosis, and Intermittent Fevers

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Chest

Abstract

A 33-year-old man with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis presented with worsening shortness of breath, nonproductive cough, and intermittent fevers after he was found to have a WBC count of 27,000 cells/μL on an outpatient laboratory evaluation. He reported feeling progressively unwell with intermittent right upper quadrant pain and shortness of breath since a hospital admission for a UC flare 6 months prior, during which he was first diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis. He noted that prior to that admission 6 months ago, his UC had been in remission for > 10 years. He reported fevers up to 38.9°C on and off for several weeks but was afebrile (37.2°C) on presentation. He endorsed non-bloody diarrhea, chills, night sweats, leg swelling, and associated leg pain. He had a cough but denied sputum production. He reported no recent travels and denied sick contacts. His medications included mesalamine, ursodiol, montelukast, and an albuterol inhaler.

First Page

e175

Last Page

e179

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.05.567

Publication Date

Fall 9-2020

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