Which of the following findings is often associated with pneumococcal pneumonia?

• A. Egophony
• B. Wheezing
• C. Stridor
• D. Rhonchi

Answer: (A)

Dense lobar consolidation from pneumococcal pneumonia alters how voice sounds travel through the chest. When a patient speaks during auscultation, the area of consolidation transmits the sound more efficiently, and the quality of the spoken voice changes from an E to an A. This finding, egophony, is a classic sign of focal pneumonia and helps differentiate consolidation from other chest sounds.

Wheezing, stridor, and rhonchi are less specific for lobar pneumonia. Wheezing points to reactive airways disease, stridor suggests upper airway obstruction, and rhonchi reflect secretions but do not specifically indicate focal dense consolidation.