Laryngeal Leishmaniasis: A Neglected, Emerging Disease in Northern Italy.
Matteo Lazzeroni, Serena Reato, Spinello Antinori et al.
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Case in brief
An immunocompetent woman with severe asthma treated with inhaled corticosteroids presented with nonspecific chronic laryngitis and was ultimately diagnosed with laryngeal leishmaniasis. The diagnosis was delayed because the presentation was nonspecific, and the disease relapsed repeatedly amid a lack of treatment guidelines. During follow-up, laryngeal lesions were biopsied using operative flexible videolaryngoscopy, avoiding general anesthesia. The report describes prophylactic aerosolized pentamidine in the setting of relapsing disease.
What made this case unusual
The report describes prophylactic aerosolized pentamidine for relapsing laryngeal leishmaniasis. The authors identify this as, to their knowledge, its first application for this condition.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Laryngeal leishmaniasis may present as nonspecific chronic laryngitis, so persistent or relapsing laryngeal lesions can pose a diagnostic challenge.
Why it matters
Operative flexible videolaryngoscopy enabled follow-up biopsies without general anesthesia, offering a less anesthesia-intensive approach in this case.