Fever, Dry Cough and Exertional Dyspnea: Pulmonary Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis Masquerading as Pneumonia, Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis and Infectious Mononucleosis

Intern Med. 2015;54(23):3045-9. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.54.4822. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

Abstract

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is a rare Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder. The disease lacks specific clinical and radiological manifestations, which may delay a definitive diagnosis. We report the case of a 39-year-old man with pulmonary LYG who presented to a hospital after experiencing three months of fever, weight loss, dry cough and exertional dyspnea. He was initially misdiagnosed with pneumonia, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and infectious mononucleosis due to the non-specific manifestations of the disease. We herein present the clinical and radiological characteristics of this case and discuss the procedure for pathological diagnosis, which will likely help clinicians in making a timely definitive diagnosis of this disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cough / etiology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Dyspnea / etiology
  • Fever / etiology
  • Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / diagnosis
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / isolation & purification*
  • Humans
  • Infectious Mononucleosis / diagnosis
  • Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis / diagnosis*
  • Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis / pathology*
  • Male
  • Pneumonia / etiology