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Question
37 year-old male presents with cough and a fever. What's the diagnosis and name three risk factors assiciated with disease?
Answer
Answer: Lung Abscesses
Lung Abscess
- Necrosis of lung parenchyma with pus and debris-filled cavities
- Caused by
- direct injury (e.g., aspiration pneumonia)
- secondary causes (e.g., tricuspid endocarditis, bacteremia, etc.)
- Risk factors for disease:
- Loss of airway reflexes (e.g., CVA, seizures, alcohol / narcotic abuse, etc)
- Poor dentition
- Immunosuppression (Diabetes, chronic steroids, etc.)
- IVDA
- Gram positives (especially Staph), negatives, and anaerobic bacteria have been implicated.
- CXR may suggest, but CT scan better identifies abscess, necrotic tissue, empyema, or other pathology
- Start broad-spectrum antibiotics and address potential underlying cause
References
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