Przewlekły kaszel jako główna manifestacja chłoniaka Hodgkina – opis przypadku

A cough lasting longer than 4-8 weeks, defined as chronic cough, always requires thorough diagnostic evaluation. In addition to detailed history-taking and physical examination, simple and available diagnostic methods, such as chest x-ray and spirometry, should be performed. They may be helpful tool to establish the underlying cause of cough. Many younger children may have difficulties in performing the forced expiratory maneuvers and fulfilling repeatability criteria for spirometry. The disturbances resulting from insufficient cooperation should be considered in interpratation of the obtained results. The shape of the flow-volume curve, which suggests upper or central airways obstruction, can not be ignored and always requires further investigation for diagnosis of respiratory pathology. The chest x-ray is the most frequently performed radiographic examination in children. Accurate interpretation is essential in reaching a correct diagnosis. Mediastinal widening on the chest x-ray in children can occur due to a large variety of causes. The normal thymus can take on a variety of sizes and shapes and still be considered normal in the first few years of life. In older children mediastinal widening should be differentiated from mediastinal masses. Lymph node enlargement represents a frequent cause, usually as a result of infection or malignancy. The article reports a case of a 12-year-old boy with chronic cough, mediastinal widening on the chest X-ray and abnormal spirometry results, who was finally diagnosed with stage III Hodgkin’s lymphoma.