A 21-year-old man with recurrent left-sided pneumonia

A case is described of a 21-year-old man suffering from repeated bouts of pneumonia affecting the left lung only. The first episode of pneumonia took place three years before the current episode, which was his fifth recurrence. The young man's symptoms included shortness of breath, a productive cough, fever and wheezing. He had never required hospitalization in the past, but in the latest episode this became necessary as his symptoms were worse and included dizziness, vomiting and a severe headache. The evaluation involved chest X-rays, blood and urine tests and an extensive medical history. The patient had no history of exposure to tuberculosis or sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. He worked as a cook on a cruise boat that traveled only along the coast of New England, and lived with his parents. The patient smoked one pack of cigarettes a day and had been a heavy drinker in the past. Some of the possible causes of his recurrent pneumonia that were considered were congenital abnormalities of the respiratory tract, cystic fibrosis, infectious diseases, and aspiration of a foreign body. While tumors of the lung are rare in young patients, this possibility was also evaluated. Examination by CT (computed tomography) scan showed a tumor, and a biopsy was taken. The final diagnosis was a cancerous tumor of the bronchus, which was removed surgically. One year later, the patient was in good health. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)