Justin Z.Y. Shen*, Vivek Gautam and Simin Nasr
Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (PLCH) is a rare disorder of the lungs characterized by the accumulation of CD1a+ cells in loosely formed granulomas in small airways. A patient with PLCH commonly presents with a smoking history with peak onset between 20 to 40 years of age. PLCH outcomes show a shorter survival rate than the general population and require lung transplantation for survival. In this report, we describe a 42-year-old Caucasian female who presents with a unique episode of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax and shortness of breath. Pathological samples of the pulmonary biopsy showed Langerhans cells stained positive for CD1a and S100, consistent with the diagnosis for PLCH. The patient was further counseled on smoking cessation with eventual symptom improvement.
