BMJ case reports
-
We present two uncommon underlying causes of a sore throat which, if missed or delayed in diagnosis, can lead to disastrous consequences. Our first case is of Lemierre's syndrome diagnosed in a 21-year-old man presenting with a 5-day history of sore throat, fever, right-sided pleuritic chest pain and bilateral pulmonary nodules on CT imaging. Fusobacterium necrophorum cultured from peripheral blood and an occluded left internal jugular vein on ultrasound lead to an eventual diagnosis. ⋯ A left-sided quinsy was diagnosed and aspirated and the patient was discharged home. She represented shortly with worsening pleuritic pain and was found to have a right-sided pleural effusion with descending mediastinitis originating from the tonsillar abscess. Delayed diagnosis resulted in open thoracotomy, decortication and prolonged intravenous antibiotics.
-
Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most common inborn error in the metabolism of the urea cycle with an incidence of 1 in 14,000 live births. Pregnancy can trigger potentially fatal hyperammonemic crises. We report a successful pregnancy in a 29-year-old primiparous patient with a known diagnosis of OTC deficiency since infancy. ⋯ Management principles include avoidance of triggers, a low-protein diet and medications which promote the removal of nitrogen by alternative pathways. Triggers include metabolic stress such as febrile illness, particularly gastroenteritis, fasting and any protein loading. In our case the patient, in addition to a restricted protein intake, was prescribed sodium benzoate 4 g four times a day, sodium phenylbutyrate 2 g four times a day and arginine 500 mg four times a day to aid excretion of ammonia and reduce flux through the urea cycle.
-
A 62-year-old woman with low back pain was eventually diagnosed with vertebral osteomyelitis after multiple visits to emergency, primary and specialty care. The absence of traditional 'red flags' from her history and examination serves as an important reminder that their absence does not necessarily reflect benign pathology.
-
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a syndrome of low pressure headache associated with low CSF pressure. The condition is generally considered benign but extreme cases of SIH can lead to changes in the level of consciousness. We describe a case in which alteration in the level of consciousness was prolonged and severe, and could not be explained solely by the presence of subdural collections. MRI of the brain showed evidence of impaired venous flow secondary to brain sagging causing distortion of deep venous structures.
-
Water-pipe (shisha) smoking is increasingly popular among young people in Europe and North America. The proponents claim that smoking water-pipe is much 'cleaner' than cigarettes. Although, a recent analysis of toxicant yields during 1-2 h water-pipe smoking resulted comparable to 100-200 cigarettes. ⋯ Secondary polycythaemia was diagnosed caused by chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. After cessation of shisha smoking all blood values returned to normal ranges within 6 weeks. Owing to the increasing popularity of water-pipe smoking and the anticipated health risks, our report should help to enhance awareness and advocate more information in tobacco prevention programmes on its potential toxicities.