Idiopathic Clubbing Confined to Lower Limb Digits and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis : An Unusual Association

Abstract EN

A 62-year-old housewife presented to the chest outpatient department with a history of exertional breathlessness of four-month duration.

On general physical examination, clubbing of toes was present with sparing of fingers.

Chest examination revealed bilateral basal end inspiratory fine crepitations.

A diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was made on the basis of clinical, spirometric, and high-resolution computed tomography findings.

Extensive evaluation could not reveal any cause for the differential clubbing.

The unusual distribution of clubbing in a clinical condition, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, where generalized clubbing is expected can lead to a diagnostic confusion.

This can lead to a further burden of investigations on the patient as clubbing being a significant finding cannot be ignored.