12th January 2024

A 39-year-old male presents with progressive shortness of breath on exertion and cough.

A 39-year-old male presents with progressive shortness of breath on exertion and cough. He has a background of HIV. A chest X-ray is taken, which shows bilateral infiltrates. He is seen by the Respiratory Team, who make a diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia and start the patient on co-trimoxazole. Three days into the treatment, the patient complains of sudden onset, right-sided pleuritic chest pain. On examination, he has reduced breath sounds over the right side of his chest, with hyper-resonance to percussion. What is the most likely complication of Pneumocystis pneumonia to have occurred in this patient?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.