A Case of Chronic Cough in a Winemaker

Background: Fungi have been known to cause a variety of respiratory conditions, ranging from mold- associated asthma to allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis and invasive disease. More recently some fungal species have been implicated in a non-asthmatic chronic cough syndrome. Case presentation: A 59-year-old male presented to the pulmonary clinic with chronic nonproductive cough. Workup included pulmonary function tests with methacholine challenge, sputum cultures, CT scans of the chest and therapeutic trial with proton pump inhibitors. Sputum cultures repeatedly showed Saccharomyces cerevisiae and patient had elevated specific IgA and IgG. Bronchoscopy was unremarkable, except for tracheal mucosa biopsies revealing acute and chronic inflammation. A one-month course of steroids provided temporary relief of chronic cough, but symptoms returned once steroids were discontinued. He also experienced temporary relief away from home. Upon further evaluation, the patient described his hobby of wine making which was believed to be the source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Once he stopped wine making at home and cleared his cellar, his symptoms stopped and have not returned since. Conclusion: We describe a rare presentation of non-asthmatic chronic cough associated with exposure to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is the first report of fungi associated chronic cough without asthmatic features outside of Japan and the first one associated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This report provides further evidence linking fungi with chronic cough syndrome without the features of asthma or allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis

Severe metabolic alkalosis–a diagnostic dilemma

Background: Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic ACTH secretion has been associated with many cancers; most commonly small cell carcinoma of the lung and bronchial carcinoid tumors. Usually, patients who confer this diagnosis have poor prognosis. Case presentation: A 66-year-old female presented with worsening shortness of breath and weakness over three days. Initial laboratory derangements included severe hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. Treatment included high amounts of potassium chloride and acetazolamide. Imaging studies revealed anterior medial right upper lobe lung mass as well as suspicion for many liver metastases. Liver biopsy was sought and was positive for small cell carcinoma. Conclusion: We describe a case of severe metabolic alkalosis and hypokalemia in a patient with Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic ACTH secretion from small cell lung cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first case identified which exhibited such significant metabolic derangements in the form of serum and arterial blood bicarbonate. As prognosis is quite poor, we recommend swift diagnosis and management