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Title: An alcoholic with fever and cough

Category: Visual Diagnosis

Keywords: fever, cough, alcoholic (PubMed Search)

Posted: 5/7/2012 by Rob Rogers, MD (Updated: 7/21/2026)

Question

An alcoholic patient presents with a cough, fever, and very foul smelling breath (worse than usual)

What's the diagnosis? And what are the risk factors?

 

 

Answer

Lung abcess

 

Risk factors for a lung abscess include:

  • Airway foreign body
  • Alcoholism
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Periodontal disease
  • Diabetes
  • Drug Abuse
  • Esophageal surgery
  • Gastric surgery
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Lung cancer
  • Seizures
  • Sinusitis
  • Stroke

 

References

case compliments of our very own Zac Dezman


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