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Article in Japanese
Abstract
Case Report
A case of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia with a remarkable increase in the number of BAL eosinophils
Hiroko Nogamia Nana Kawanob Masashi Komoria Tomoaki Iwanagaa Kentaro Watanabec
aDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Fukuoka National Hospital
bDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Shimoji Clinic
cDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Fukuoka University School of Medicine
ABSTRACT
A 59-year-old female suffering from bronchial asthma presented with shortness of breath. A chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) showed diffuse ground-glass opacities of the bilateral lower lung fields. TBLB specimen showed infiltration of only a few eosinophils, but the percentage of those cells in the BALF was 68%. She was treated with oral steroids as chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP). Methylprednisolone (mPSL) improved her symptoms, chest X-ray, and CT findings. However, when the dose of mPSL was reduced to 2 mg/day, ground-glass opacities reappeared in the chest CT. In the second BALF, the percentage of lymphocytes increased to 58%, but eosinophils was 4%. Finally, she was diagnosed as having nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). It is possible that bronchial asthma was superimposed in her clinical course of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.
KEYWORDS
Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery
Received 24 Sep 2012 ／ Accepted 19 Feb 2013
AJRS, 2(4): 389-394, 2013
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