Case 27-2000

Presentation of CaseA 61-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of increasing exertional dyspnea.The patient had been in excellent health until three months earlier, when he began to experience mild exertional dyspnea, with an occasional cough productive of clear sputum. Radiographic studies of the chest performed on two occasions showed abnormalities, and different antibiotics were administered on each occasion without improvement. The dyspnea worsened, and anorexia developed, with a weight loss of 7 kg. Three weeks before admission, pulmonary-function studies were performed at another hospital (Table 1). The patient was referred to this hospital.The patient worked . . .