A Case of Paraneoplastic Dermatomyositis Presenting With Malignant Pleural Effusion.

Dermatomyositis is an uncommon inflammatory condition characterized by proximal muscle weakness with distinct cutaneous manifestations. Like any other systemic disease, it affects multiple organs, the lungs being one of them. Common pulmonary manifestations of dermatomyositis (DM) include interstitial lung disease (ILD), primary lung malignancy, and aspiration pneumonia. The involvement of the pleura is not commonly seen, and pleural effusion is rarely reported in DM. Its presence should prompt further workup, especially for malignancy. An association between dermatomyositis and malignancy has been studied widely and is well established. Here, we report a 37-year-old female with classical cutaneous manifestations and myopathy of dermatomyositis presenting with a malignant left-sided pleural effusion.

Miliary Tuberculosis with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Deadly Combination.

A unique and deadly presentation of miliary tuberculosis is acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this case report, we present the case of a 22-year-old male patient who presented with a history of weight loss, appetite loss for eight months, and rapidly worsening dyspnea for 15 days, for which he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) of the thorax revealed bilateral miliary opacities. Routine blood tests revealed hyponatremia and leukocytosis. The patient was started on non-invasive ventilatory support, intravenous corticosteroids, and anti-tubercular therapy on clinical and-radiological suspicion of miliary tuberculosis. The patient was admitted for one month and started to show rapid recovery after initiating anti-tubercular and corticosteroid therapy.

A Case of Alveolar-Cell Carcinoma Misdiagnosed As Tubercular Bronchopneumonia.

Tuberculosis (TB) and cancer are two of the most prevalent disease across the globe. Cases of lung cancer are increasing rapidly and have now reached almost epidemic levels throughout the world. The two diseases share various radiological features and symptoms and coming to a diagnosis sometimes becomes challenging. In a situation like this, an invasive procedure to establish a diagnosis becomes necessary. We report a case of 35-year-old female presenting with cough and dyspnea, initially diagnosed as pulmonary bronchopneumonia and later found to have alveolar-cell carcinoma.

Drug-Resistant (DR) Tubercular Pleural Effusion: A Rare Case.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common infectious diseases in developing countries throughout the world. According to the WHO, there has been a rise in the number of cases of drug-resistant (DR) TB in recent times. Tubercular pleural effusion is challenging to diagnose given the low bacillary load and frequently negative stains for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining. We present a case of successful diagnosis and management of primary extra-pulmonary multidrug-resistant (MDR) tubercular pleural effusion after being misdiagnosed from outside as drug-sensitive extra-pulmonary TB. Initial tests revealed exudative effusion with raised adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels, therefore the patient was started on conventional anti-tubercular therapy with isoniazid (H), rifampicin (R), pyrazinamide (Z), and ethambutol (E), but the patient did not improve in spite of regular treatment for two months, which warranted further investigations. Therefore Xpert® MTB/R assay (Cepheid Inc., Sunnyvale, USA), line probe assay (LPA), and drug sensitivity testing (DST) of the pleural fluid were sent, which were suggestive of R- and H-resistant tubercular effusion. The patient was started on an oral bedaquiline-containing regimen as per the WHO guidelines and the patient showed considerable improvement on follow up.

A Clinical Encounter With Pickwickian Syndrome.

The clinical syndrome described in the literature as "Pickwickian syndrome" is characterized by a combination of sleep-disordered breathing, obesity, and daytime hypercapnia; the condition is also known as obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). This syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion after every other possible etiology is ruled out. Patients can present both with an exacerbation of or a chronic state of progressive dyspnea. In this report, we describe the case of a 62-year-old morbidly obese female with a BMI of 42 Kg/m2, who presented with progressively worsening breathlessness. An arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis revealed severe hypoxia with hypercarbia. A sleep study [polysomnography (PSG)] of the patient was performed, which revealed an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 58.2, and the patient was diagnosed as having OHS after all other possible cardiorespiratory etiologies were ruled out. The patient was promptly managed with non-invasive ventilatory (NIV) support along with supportive management and was prescribed overnight NIV and subsequently discharged in stable condition.

Metastatic Prostatic Adenocarcinoma Masquerading as Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Report.

Prostate carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the elderly male population in India as well as worldwide, and its incidence has been on the rise in the younger age groups as well. The annual incidence rate of prostate cancer in India ranges from 5.0 to 9.1 per 100,000 people. It commonly metastasizes to the bone, regional lymph nodes, and in rare cases, to the lung, liver, and brain. Pulmonary manifestations of metastatic prostate carcinoma are rare with pulmonary lesions being part of the initial pattern of metastasis in only 2% of prostate malignancies. We report the case of a 53-year-old male who presented with breathlessness and hemoptysis, which was initially diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis and later found to be a case of metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma.

A case series of malignant pericardial effusion.

The most common primary malignancies that affect the pericardium are lung cancers. Typically, pericardial involvement stays undiagnosed, with almost 1-20% of all tumor-related autopsies revealing invasion of the pericardium. Pericardial effusions are seldom the first location of metastasis and presentation of a primary malignancy. Malignant pericardial effusions are usually silent, although they cause dyspnea, chest discomfort, arrhythmias, cough, and, in rare cases, pericardial tamponade. In a patient with tamponade, a high index of tumor-related suspicion is crucial to rule out cancer. Emergency pericardiocentesis is indicated based on the clinical presentation, however, the patient frequently has a bad prognosis regardless of whether treatment is administered or not. In this case series, we report five cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with pericardial effusion as an initial presentation.