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Pulmonary puzzle
Persistent cough: an unusual cause
  1. Bethan Barker1,
  2. Harmesh Moudgil2,
  3. Gareth Slocombe3,
  4. Koottalai Srinivasan2
  1. 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, UK
  2. 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, Princess Royal Hospital, Apley Castle, Telford, UK
  3. 3Department of Haematology, Princess Royal Hospital, Apley Castle, Telford, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Bethan Barker, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham B9 5SS, UK; bethanbarker{at}hotmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2010.135251

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    A 55-year-old Caucasian man who worked in the recycling industry presented with a 7-month history of non-productive cough and no other symptoms. He had no significant previous medical history and took no medications. He had never smoked and had no history of travel outside the UK. He described symptoms of a lower respiratory tract infection 5 months previously which had been treated with antibiotics and steroids. A chest x-ray at the time had shown consolidation consistent with infection which had subsequently resolved. Physical examination was normal.

    Spirometry and transfer factor were normal. Full blood count showed isolated eosinophilia of 12.7×10−9/l. The blood film revealed an unremarkable cell morphology. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated at 92 mm/h. Urea and electrolytes, …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.