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Medical mystery: Why did her chronic cough linger for a decade?

A sputum test confirmed the presence of mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and revealed a previously missed diagnosis: MAC lung disease.

Lung imaging can show potential signs of MAC infection, but a sputum test to confirm the presence of bacteria is the only way to definitively diagnose MAC lung disease.
Lung imaging can show potential signs of MAC infection, but a sputum test to confirm the presence of bacteria is the only way to definitively diagnose MAC lung disease.Read moreGetty Images/iStockphoto
    by Daniel A. Salerno, For The Inquirer
    Published