[Atypical lung abscess occurring in an elderly female suffering from diabetes mellitus--a case report].
We report an atypical case of lung abscess occurring in a 73-year-old female who suffered from diabetes for more than 20 years. In 1993 she had a total gasterectomy for gastric cancer. In 1995 she was admitted to our hospital complaining of a mild cough and a small amount of sputa. A CT scan of the chest revealed a huge abscess in the left lung. Streptococcus sanguis was cultured from the intrathoracic fluid. It is possible that the severe lung abscess in spite of the few symptoms occurs in the compromised host, such as this patient who suffered from diabetes for long time. Oral streptococci in close relationship to misswallowing should be taken into consideration as one of the causes of this condition.
Komatsu
K
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka Prefectural General Hospital.
Kanda
T
T
D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008169:Lung Abscess / Q000209:etiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D013298:Streptococcus sanguis