A hefty dose of alcohol could well have been the trigger for a potentially deadly
infection in a young, immunocompetent woman. After consuming 500-750 mL of hard alcohol,
the 30-year-old patient had multiple bouts of forceful nonbloody emesis. She then
developed severe pleuritic chest pain and palpitations, prompting a visit to the emergency
department. On questioning, she acknowledged shortness of breath and a nonproductive
cough. A review of systems was otherwise noncontributory. She denied fevers, chills,
nasal congestion, sore throat, or sick contacts. Her past medical history was remarkable
for hypertension and alcohol use. She did not smoke tobacco or use illicit or recreational
drugs.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 05, 2018
Thomas J. Marrie, MD, Section EditorFootnotes
Funding: None.
Conflict of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and participated in the preparation of the manuscript.
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Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.