Acute Onset of Dyspnea in an HIV Patient

Abstract

A 44-year-old man presented with acute onset of severe dyspnea. The patient was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 10 years prior, and since the time of diagnosis, he had 3 episodes of Pneumocystis pneumonias (PCP). He has been on antiretroviral therapy and Pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis. The patient was totally asymptomatic before this acute episode and had never smoked.