In China, a man started coughing up blood. Treatments for smoker’s lung proved ineffective, and tuberculosis and cancer were suspected. However, the true cause traced back to an incident during a celebratory meal two years prior.
A Chinese Man Coughed for 2 Years Due to a Chicken Bone in His Lung
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The description of this unusual clinical scenario was published in the journal Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. A 53-year-old man, a former heavy smoker with type 2 diabetes, presented to the hospital. He complained of a harsh cough with sputum and hemoptysis. Despite having quit smoking two years earlier, his symptoms were worsening. Doctors initially suspected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and initiated treatment. While an inhaler offered slight relief, the cough persisted, and soon his condition deteriorated, with dyspnea and chest tightness developing alongside the cough.
A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed inflammation and collapse in a section of the lung, along with a cavity in the right upper lobe. Tuberculosis or a tumor were considered among the potential explanations. However, bronchoscopy (an examination of the airways using a flexible scope with a camera) disproved both diagnoses.
During the examination, the medical staff observed a yellowish-white object obstructing a bronchus. Investigation revealed it to be a chicken bone that had become encrusted with granulation tissue (protective growths). After thorough questioning, the patient recalled choking on a chicken bone during a festive dinner exactly two years before. His initial symptoms began right after that event. He mistakenly attributed them to smoking, motivating him to quit.
Extracting the bone was not straightforward. It was deeply embedded in the tissues, causing the mucous membrane to bleed with every attempt at removal. Surgeons ultimately removed it under general anesthesia using specialized forceps. The object was a chicken bone measuring 0.6 × 1.2 cm. Immediately following the procedure, the coughing ceased, and after a year of follow-up, the patient was completely healthy.
This is not an isolated instance where a foreign body mimics conditions like tuberculosis or lung cancer. For example, medical literature documents a case where a 56-year-old woman was suspected of having a recurrence of lung cancer, but the actual culprit was a watermelon seed lodged in her bronchus. The difficulty arises because foreign objects like bones or seeds often cannot be seen on X-rays or CT scans, and their symptoms closely resemble those of other common lung ailments.
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