Progressive Dyspnea and a Persistent Wheeze: A Subtle Presentation of Pulmonary Embolism in a 64 Year Old Woman
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Eduardo Fahme 1 * , Raul Reyes-Sosa 1, Ricardo Fernandez-Gonzalez 1, Rosangela Fernandez 1, Glorimar Santos-Llanos 1, Dimas J Ferrer-Torres 1
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1 San Juan City Hospital, San Juan, Puerto Rico* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Wheezing is a whistling sound which is made during the inspiratory or expiratory phase. By definition, wheezes are continuous sounds longer than 250 msec in duration and are higher pitched and of more musical quality than rhonchi. These are commonly found in patients with asthma and although the mechanisms are not entirely clear, consensus on it originating from obstruction is evident. Most patients, and even a few physicians, believe that wheezing is synonymous with asthma. However, there are multiple conditions that produce this specific breath sound. We report a case of a patient who was misdiagnosed with asthma.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Case Report

EUR J GEN MED, Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2011, 148-150

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82717

Publication date: 11 Apr 2011

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