Clinical Case Studies: The Unrelenting Cough

Category: Clinical Case Studies
Tags: Pulmonary, Diagnostics, Case Study, PANCE Reasoning
SEO Focus Keyword: PANCE pulmonary case study

Excerpt:
A 46-year-old woman presents with a chronic cough that defies antibiotics. This case dissects how to reason through pulmonary differentials step by step.

Full Article:
A 46-year-old woman reports a persistent dry cough for 6 weeks. No fever, sputum, or weight loss. She takes lisinopril for hypertension. Physical exam is clear.

1. Start with the Obvious
   Cough >8 weeks = chronic cough. Top three causes: upper airway cough syndrome, GERD, ACE inhibitor use.

2. Eliminate by History
   No postnasal symptoms, no heartburn, but an ACE inhibitor? Always suspect medication before diving deeper.

3. Confirm by Challenge
   Stopping lisinopril resolves symptoms — a classic PANCE reasoning step.

Takeaway:
The best test-takers treat every case as a diagnostic dialogue. The BEYOND PANCE lens teaches you to strip the noise, identify the pattern, and make clinical logic second nature.