Healthy man goes camping—lands in ICU for 40 days with respiratory failure

Healthy man goes camping—lands in ICU for 40 days with respiratory failure

The man was in Argentina when he fell ill, but such cases occur in the US, too.

Healthy man goes camping—lands in ICU for 40 days with respiratory failure - WorldNL Magazine

It was a diagnostic challenge, and doctors began reviewing the list of possibilities that could match his condition. The first guess of pneumonia could explain some of his respiratory findings, but he didn't have a cough, had tested negative for common respiratory pathogens, and the lung imaging didn't quite fit, making it seem unlikely. Blood cancers, such as polycythemia vera, might be able to explain the high concentrations of blood cells. An…