Steigman Carmen K, McElderry Joshua
J Ark Med Soc. 2012 May;108(12):270-1.
We report a fatal case of acute chest syndrome in an African-American male. The patient was hospitalized for respiratory distress, fevers, and pulmonary infiltrates after working in an attic space on a summer day. An extensive work-up failed to reveal an etiology for his respiratory failure. He died of respiratory failure two weeks after admission. Autopsy findings suggested the patient had clinically unrecognized sickle cell trait exacerbated by working in the heat, causing acute chest syndrome with a fatal outcome. Clinicians should consider acute chest syndrome and sickle cell trait in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained respiratory failure and pulmonary infiltrates.
我们报告了一例非裔美国男性急性胸部综合征的致死病例。该患者在夏日于阁楼工作后，因呼吸窘迫、发热和肺部浸润而住院。全面检查未能发现其呼吸衰竭的病因。入院两周后，他死于呼吸衰竭。尸检结果表明，患者患有临床未识别的镰状细胞性状，在高温环境下工作使其病情加重，导致急性胸部综合征并最终死亡。临床医生在对不明原因呼吸衰竭和肺部浸润患者进行鉴别诊断时，应考虑急性胸部综合征和镰状细胞性状。
