ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumonia is reported to account for a relatively large number of cases of CAP. In elderly patients in particular, the clinical presentation can be a severe form of diffuse interstitial pneumonia. The chest X-ray presentation is aspecific. Lung US can show a typical pattern of diffuse interstitial lung syndrome; in some cases, like the present one, the association of multiple B lines with a coarse and thickened pleural line points to a more likely diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia. CASE REPORT: We present the case of an 87-year-old woman with severe interstitial chlamydial pneumonia, for whom lung US was very useful for directing diagnosis and for follow-up during therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of lung US in the diagnosis of interstitial syndrome is likely to improve the care of patients in whom the diagnosis is a consideration; it offers better characterization than a chest X-ray and is free from CT radiation. Furthermore, the concept of using lung US for monitoring a patient is one of the major innovations that has emerged from recent studies.
Subject(s)
Lung Diseases, Interstitial/diagnostic imaging , Lung/diagnostic imaging , Ultrasonography , Aged, 80 and over , Chlamydial Pneumonia/diagnostic imaging , Chlamydial Pneumonia/drug therapy , Chlamydophila pneumoniae , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Lung/drug effects , Lung Diseases, Interstitial/drug therapyABSTRACT
A newborn colonized with Chlamydia trachomatis will often show symptoms of conjunctivitis and/or pneumonia. We report a case of interstitial pneumonia caused by C. trachomatis in a 2-month-old boy admitted with RSV. We point to the importance of C. trachomatis in the differential diagnostics of an infant with respiratory symptoms even in the presence of additional infectious agents.
