• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.105-116
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• 2013

Background: In Korea, there is low awareness of the respiratory health problems caused by the use of humidifiers, leading to a lack of governmental measures. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to review cases of varying degrees of humidifier lung and fever in connection with the use of humidifiers and to summarize the probable environmental agents causing these cases. Methods: We searched all articles reporting on humidifier lung, humidifier fever, and humidifier diseases caused by the use of a humidifier both at home and in the workplace. Results: We summarized a number of cases of varying degrees of respiratory diseases resulting from inhalation of water mist of humidifiers containing various species of bacteria and fungi and their toxins. Type of respiratory disease connected with humidifier lung includes interstitial pneumonitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, fever and several respiratory symptoms. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), Actinomycetes, endotoxins and contaminated humidifier water were the most commonly suspected probable environmental agents causing humidifier lung. In Korea, the use of humidifier biocide is suspected as a likely cause of fatal lung injury including death and lung transplantation. Conclusion: Governmental policy should be devised and measures including a national surveillance system should be taken to prevent humidifier lung caused by the use of humidifiers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 2005

Leflunomide is a new disease modifying anti rheumatic drug (DMARD) for the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis. Its mechanism of action differs from other DMARDs in that it inhibits the de novo pyrimidine synthesis by inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and therefore prevents the proliferation of activated lymphocytes. As it has been prescribed worldwide, there is a great deal of much concerns regarding its potential adverse effects. Because leflunomide has an active metabolite with a long elimination half-life of approximately 2 weeks, serious adverse reactions may occur even after the leflunomide treatment has been stopped. The profile of serious reactions includes liver dysfunction, hematological disorders, severe skin reactions and respiratory dysfunction. Respiratory dysfunctions with leflunomide therapy are very rare and its incidence is lower than that of methotrexate therapy. However, there are reports in Japan showing that 5 patients died of interstitial pneumonitis and another 11 patients developed serious lung complications associated with leflunomide. This suggests the possibility of fatal respiratory toxicity of leflunomide. There are no reports of interstitial pneumonitis associated with leflunomide in Korea. We report a case of a 62-year old woman who developed interstitial pneumonitis, which might have been induced by leflunomide during the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.308-314
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• 2004

Atelocollagen have been used recently in skin and other soft tissue defect regions more than silicone fluid because of the low incidence of an immune reaction and complications. Several cases of acute pneumonitis after a subcutaneous injection of silicone have been reported. The symptoms were dyspnea, fever, chest pain and hemoptysis. Previous reports have explained the pathophysiology of acute pneumonitis to a pulmonary microembolism and cellular inflammation. We experienced two cases of an acute interstitial pneumonitis and pulmonary hemorrhage after a subcutaneous injection of atelocollagen. They were all healthy young women and complained of dyspnea, fever and blood tinged sputum. The chest radiography and computerized tomography showed a bilateral ground glass opacity in both lung fields. One case recovered completely with conservative treatment but the clinical course of the other case was aggravated to the degree that invasive positive pressure ventilation therapy was required. We report a rare case of a diffuse pulmonary alveolar hemorrhage and an interstitial pneumonitis after the subcutaneous injection of atelocollagen for cosmetic purposes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.6
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• pp.256-259
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• 2013

Imatinib mesylate is a targeted therapy that acts by inhibiting tyrosine kinase of the bcr-abl fusion oncoprotein, which is specific to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and the c-transmembrane receptor, which is specific to gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Interstitial pneumonitis is a rare adverse event of imatinib therapy. It is clinically difficult to distinguish from infectious pneumonia, which can frequently occur due to the underlying disease. The standard treatment for imatinib-induced pneumonitis is to discontinue the medication and optionally administer corticosteroids. However, there are a few cases of successful retrial with imatinib. We describe a case of successful rechallenge of imatinib in a patient with imatinib-induced interstitial pneumonitis and CML without a recurrence of the underlying disease after 3 months of follow-up.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.367-372
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• 2001

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) has been widely used for the prophylaxis of superficial bladder tumor recurrence and for the treatment of bladder carcinoma in situ. More than 95% of patients who receive BCG instillation tolerate the treatment well and side reactions have been reported in less than 5% of patients. Most side effects are minor and self-limiting. However, a rare occurrence of severe systemic reactions have been reported. Among the severe systemic reactions, hypersensitivity pneumonitis should be considered in patients with pneumonic complications after BCG instillation in cases where the culture for mycobacteria is negative in the sputwn, brochoalveolar lavage and blood specimen. In addition, a fiberoptic bronchoscopy with transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrates a fibrosis of the alveolar septums, where there is and an increased lymphocyte count with out tuberculous inflammatory changes, the and CD4 : CD8 ratio is increased and no symptomatic response to antituberculosis chemotherapy is observed. Here we report a 68 years old man with interstitial pneumonitis following intravesical BCG instillation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.74 no.5
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• pp.235-239
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• 2013

Several chemotherapeutic agents are known to develop pulmonary toxicities in cancer patients, although the frequency of incidence varies. Cyclophosphamide is a commonly encountered agent that is toxic to the lung. Additionally, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) being used for the recovery from neutropenia can exacerbate lung injury. However, most of the patients reported previously that the drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis were developed after three to four cycles of chemotherapy. Hereby, we report a case of peripheral T cell lymphoma which rapidly developed a fatal interstitial pneumonitis after the first cycle of combined chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone, and etoposide and the patient had also treated with G-CSF during neutropenic period.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.273-277
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• 2004

Methotrexate is commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis as an anti-inflammatory agent, but treatment with methotrexate can lead to severe side effects, especially pulmonary complication. Interstitial pneumonitis is one of the most important pulmonary adverse effects of methotrexate and most patient present with a subacute febrile illness and peripheral eosinophilia is seen in about a half of patients. Almost all patients have abnormal chest roentgenograms and bibasilar interstitial infiltration with alveolar pulmonary consolidations is the most characteristic finding. Interstitial inflammation with mononuclear cell infiltration is a characteristic pathologic feature and findings that suggest acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis, such as bronchiolitis, granuloma formation with giant cells, and infiltration with eosinophils are often present. Methotrexate-induced pneumonitis is a potentially life threatening and unpredictable complication but it is difficult to make a definite diagnosis in the absence of high index of clinical suspicion. Early recognition and appropriate management may avoid the serious outcome. Herein we report a case of methotrexate-induced pneumonitis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 2011

Imatinib mesylate, a selective inhibitor of BCR-ABL kinase activity, has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). It has become the standard of treatment for these diseases. Although the toxicity profile of imatinib is superior to that of interferon or other cytotoxic agents, some adverse events including edema, gastrointestinal toxicities and hematologic toxicities are commonly observed in the patients treated by imatinib. We present two cases of imatinib induced interstitial pneumonitis during the treatment of a chronic phase of CML.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2012

Pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-derived (MALT) lymphoma is a rare disease. This disorder is considered to be a model of antigen-driven lymphoma, which is driven either by autoantigens or by chronic inflammatory conditions. Low-grade B-cell MALT lymphoma may develop from a nonneoplastic pulmonary lymphoproliferative disorder, such as lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis (LIP). A recent estimate predicts that less than 5% of LIP patients acquire malignant, low-grade, B-cell lymphoma. In Korea, there has been no previous report of malignant low-grade, B-cell lymphoma, acquired from LIP. Here, we present the case of a patient with LIP that developed into pulmonary MALT lymphoma, six years after diagnosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.204-206
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• 2007

Herpes simplex virus [HSV] esophagitis is a rare disease and most of cases are reported in the immunocompromised patients. We report a case of fatal HSV infection started from herpes labialis and esophagitis. She had initially suffered from perioral ulcer, esophagitis, and interstitial pneumonitis later and eventually died of respiratory insufficiency one month later after the aneurysmal surgery. She did not have any immunocompromised medical history and also had no evidence of herpes encephalitis in laboratory study and magnetic resonance image [MRI]. With the availability of effective agents for the treatment of HSV infection, early recognition of HSV esophagitis is important because it may be clinically confused with Cushing ulcer and may be complicated with a fatal pneumonitis.