A 66-year-old woman presents with a persistent cough and flank pain, leading to the discovery of a Rib Fracture. What is the underlying cause?
A 66-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of dry cough and severe pain in the right flank. Five days before presentation, she had received a diagnosis of viral upper respiratory tract infection, but her symptoms had not abated with supportive treatment. The patient reported no trauma; she had no known sick contacts and had received the tetanus–diphtheria–acellular pertussis vaccine 8 years earlier. Physical examination revealed tenderness on palpation over the chest wall on the right side. Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen revealed a displaced fracture of the lateral aspect of the ninth rib on the right side. What is the likely diagnosis?
What is the most likely diagnosis?
Bordetella pertussis, Cough, Infectious Disease, Paroxysmal Cough, Rib Fracture
