Common complaints tend to be explained by common conditions, but sometimes that assumption is wrong. A 56-year-old man presented with cough, skin lesions, and left knee pain. Five months earlier, he had developed a cough that occasionally produced blood-tinged sputum. A smoker, he was told he had bronchitis, for which he received courses of levofloxacin, inhaled bronchodilators, and inhaled corticosteroids; this was followed by a course of amoxicillin. There was no noticeable improvement, and 5 weeks prior to presentation at The University of Illinois at Chicago, his left knee became painful and swollen. At the same time, he developed skin lesions that a dermatologist diagnosed as acne; he was treated with doxycycline for 3 weeks. When his skin worsened to the point that he thought it embarrassing, he presented for a second opinion.To read this article in its entirety, please visit our website.
— Leann Silhan, MD, Robert M. Reed, MD
This article originally appeared in December 2011 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
