MEDICAL MYSTERY #4
You see a 69-year-old gentleman in clinic, with a 35 (cigarette) pack year history, who has been experiencing breathlessness on exertion and a productive cough of white sputum over the last three months. You assess his spirometry results which reveal an FEV1/FVC of 50 per cent with minimal reversibility after a 2-week trial of oral corticosteroids. Cardiological investigations are normal. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic bronchitis
- Left ventricular heart failure
- Lung fibrosis