Clinical presentation

A 64-year-old woman, never smoker, with a history of fully treated tuberculosis at 20 years of age attended our department for lung function testing. She had recently experienced several episodes of intermittent breathlessness and wheeze presumed to be due to asthma and was referred to a respiratory physician following an emergency department visit during one of these episodes. She did not have any recent weight loss, night sweats, purulent sputum or haemoptysis. Her dyspnoea and wheeze (inspiratory and expiratory) had been refractory to inhaled corticosteroids and both short and long acting β₂ agonists.

Lung function using American …