Cough-induced rib fracture in a smoker: a case report

Coughing is considered an important mechanism that helps the body get rid of foreign substances or prevent their entry into the tracheobronchial tree. Infrequently, after the onset of coughing, patients presenting with persistent chest pain are found to have rib fractures. Among the cases reported for cough-induced rib fractures, the maximum number of fractured ribs was found to be four. In this report, we present a case of a healthy 50-year-old Lebanese smoker who developed a total of six fractures in five ribs, asymmetrically, after coughing for 2.5 months. This case report is, to our knowledge, the first to describe six cough-induced rib fractures in a smoker without an underlying predisposition.