Archive puzzle
Doctordle #39
Long-term productive cough in a smoker
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Case notes
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Case notes
Sourced case summary
Open the full case notes after playing. The text is also rendered in the page HTML so search engines can understand the archived puzzle.
Case summary
This archived Doctordle case was published on 2026-05-09. It presents "Long-term productive cough in a smoker" as a Medium Pulmonology puzzle. The final answer is Chronic Bronchitis.
Answer
Chronic Bronchitis
Source
Topic pages verified on 2026-07-11
Information summarized from MedlinePlus.gov. MedlinePlus does not endorse Doctordle.
Six clues
Clue 1
A 59-year-old smoker has a mucus-producing cough most mornings.
Clue 2
The cough has persisted for months over multiple years.
Clue 3
Wheezing and shortness of breath occur during exertion.
Clue 4
There is no sudden fever and focal lung opacity in this fictional case.
Clue 5
The airway inflammation is one pattern within COPD.
Clue 6
The answer names long-term inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
Plain-language explanation
Chronic bronchitis is long-term inflammation of the airways with chronic productive cough. It is one of the conditions included under COPD.
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