A woman with dyspnea and recurrent pneumothorax: when dyspnea is not asthma

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease characterized by cystic lung lesions, lymphatic abnormalities, and angiomyolipomas. It can take a significant amount of time to diagnose LAM due to the vague symptoms of fatigue, progressive dyspnea, pneumothorax, and pleural effusion. We present a ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anusha Chidharla, Matthew Sehring, Marisa Ayari Ascencio, Subramanyam Chittivelu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-07-01
Series:Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20009666.2020.1771125
Description
Summary:Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease characterized by cystic lung lesions, lymphatic abnormalities, and angiomyolipomas. It can take a significant amount of time to diagnose LAM due to the vague symptoms of fatigue, progressive dyspnea, pneumothorax, and pleural effusion. We present a case of a 29-year-old woman with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax and progressive dyspnea who was initially misdiagnosed with asthma and was later found to have LAM. As with all rare diagnoses, there needs to be a suspicion of the disease in order for a further workup to be initiated. In patients with a compatible High-resolution CT scan of the chest, a high vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) value is diagnostic for LAM, and no other confirmatory test is needed.
ISSN:2000-9666