Cough as the presenting symptom of large vessel vasculitis.
We report the case of a 57-year-old woman presenting with persistent cough, weight loss, and fever. An extensive work-up revealed laboratory signs of inflammation and a mild thickening of the aortic wall on computed tomographic scan of the thorax. These findings raised the suspicion of large vessel vasculitis that was elegantly confirmed by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Persistent cough as the inaugural symptom and involvement of large vessels in Horton's disease are also discussed.
Van der Schueren
B
B
Division of General Internal Medicine, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Lambert
M
M
D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001025:Aortitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D011239:Prednisolone