Facial Oedema Is Not Always Angioedema: A Case of Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum with Subcutaneous Emphysema during COPD Exacerbation

We report a case of acute facial oedema in an elderly hospitalized patient which was initially misdiagnosed as angioedema secondary to antibiotics in a patient with an allergic diathesis. We describe the differential aetiologies and then the true cause of the oedema, which was an uncommon complication of a very common condition in the elderly: a pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema probably due to rupture of an emphysematous lung bulla during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. Lastly, we focus on the therapeutic procedures instituted for the treatment of the pneumomediastinum.

Is There More to This Case than Mere Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis? A Clinical Case Presentation

Introduction: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease, associated with excess accumulation of surfactant proteins and lipids in the alveoli. Clinical presentation: We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with a combined presentation of PAP, myelodysplasia and recurrent miscarriages. Conclusions: The concomitant presentation of the above might be compatible with a mutation of the haematopoietic transcription factor gene GATA2.