Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis with Multiple Pulmonary Consolidations.

Ahn, Young Soo; Lee, Sang Moo; Joo, Jong Eun

doi:2002.53.1.79

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 53(1); 2002 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2002;53(1):79-84.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2002.53.1.79 Published online July 1, 2002.

Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis with Multiple Pulmonary Consolidations.

Young Soo Ahn, Sang Moo Lee, Jong Eun Joo

¹Department of Pulmonolgy, Nowon Eulji Hospital, Eulji Medical College, Seoul, Korea. ays1116@eulji.or.kr
²Department of Pathology, Nowon Eulji Hospital, Eulji Medical College, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Pulmonary nocardiosis is an infrequent but severe infection due to the microorganism, Nocardia spp, which may behave as both an opportunists and as a primary pathogens. Usually nocardiosis is found in patients under immunosuppressive regimens for organ transplans, chemotherapy for a malignancy and corticosteroids. The experience of pulmonary nocardiosis in the medical literature is limited to just case reports, with a few series including extrapulmonary nocardiosis. It is believed that the incidence of this infection has been increasing since 1960. The diagnosis is difficult because of the nonspecific clinical manifestations, the lack of laboratory evidence, and the non-specific radiographic findings. Here, we report a case of pulmonary nocardiasis in a 66 year-old patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis who has suffered from acutely developed dyspnea and general edema. The nocardia species. was cultured from a specimen obtained by a percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy.

Key Words: Pulmonary nocardiosis, Liver cirrhosis