Background: Sarcoidosis presents with typical clinic-radiological findings and shows histologically non-caseating granulomas. Pulmonary manifestations of sarcoidosis can be diverse, involving the intrathoracic lymph nodes and pulmonary parenchyma. Case presentation: We here describe a case of a 35-year-old patient who presented with a history of exertion dyspnoea and coughing for the past 20 years. At the age of 15, she was exposed to smoke emanating from a fire. Later, she had exposure to mold for two years, and during her childhood, she had animals such as a cockatiel, dog, cat, gecko, and turtle. Computed tomography of the chest revealed symmetrical apical giant bullous lesions. Histology of the resected bullae showed prominent peribronchial fibrosis with non-necrotizing, non-caseating granulomas and collaps of pulmonary lobules adjacent to the bulla. The absence of granulomatous infection and a markedly elevated CD4:CD8 ratio in bronchoalveolar lavage analysis suggested that the underlying process was sarcoidosis. Conclusion: In very rare cases, sarcoidosis can be associated with bilateral symmetrical apical giant bullous disease due to fibrotic and granulomatous changes resulting in a restriction of lung tissue.
CITATION STYLE
Jungraithmayr, W., Leggeri, E., Weder, W., & Vrugt, B. (2017). Sarcoidosis as a rare cause for symmetrical giant bullous disease. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-017-0429-z
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