Internal medicine
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Review Case Reports
Long-term Findings in Bullous Sarcoidosis: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Pulmonary sarcoidosis may occasionally present with large bullae, but the clinical implications of this finding remain unclear. We herein report the complete clinical course of a case of pulmonary bullous sarcoidosis. ⋯ The later phase involved repeated bacterial and fungal infections of the bullous lungs, eventually causing respiratory failure and mortality. Postmortem examinations revealed aggressive pulmonary Mycobacterium avium infection and diffuse alveolar damage.
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Cryptococcal meningitis is a critical disease that occasionally involves immunosuppressed patients. We herein report a 79-year-old Japanese man who received low-dose prednisolone therapy for neurosarcoidosis and panhypopituitarism. ⋯ After the diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis, we successfully treated the patient with a recommended treatment regimen. When an immunocompromised patient presents with a subacute fever accompanying any central nervous symptoms, cryptococcal meningitis should be screened for.
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Skin lesions in X-linked Alport syndrome (XLAS) are rarely observed. Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is caused by autoantibodies against BP180, also called α1 (XVII) chain, in the basement membrane zone (BMZ). ⋯ Oral prednisolone improved his symptoms gradually. Abundant tense blisters on the palms and soles might suggest an important role of the α5 (IV) chain in the integrity of BMZ.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) often complicates chronic lung disease. However, there are few reports of PH associated with diffuse panbronchiolitis, and there is no effective treatment. ⋯ She received erythromycin, carbocysteine, and home oxygen therapy (1 L O2/min). After 4 months of therapy, the respiratory function (diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide: 23.3% to 76.1%) and PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure: 50 to 28 mmHg; pulmonary vascular resistance: 680 to 518 dynes・sec・cm-5; pre- vs post-therapy, respectively) had improved markedly.