• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.6
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• pp.556-559
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• 2009

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is characterized by idiopathic acute febrile illness, diffuse pulmonary infiltration, severe hypoxemia, and pulmonary eosinophilia. We report a case of AEP associated with intramuscular administration of progesterone as luteal phase support after in vitro fertilization. A 33-year-old woman presented to our emergency room with tachypnea and hypoxemia, complaining of fever and cough for 4 days, and dyspnea for 2 days. The symptoms began 9 days after the first injection of progesterone. Chest radiograph showed bilateral infiltrates, located predominantly in the periphery of the lungs, with blunting of the costophrenic angle. Symptoms and chest radiograph dramatically improved after corticosteroid therapy and shifting the progesterone from an intramuscular form of administration to a vaginal form of administration.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.832-838
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• 2005

Purpose : Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is relatively common in childhood. Its extrapulmonary manifestations have been reported so much, but hepatitis associated with it has been reported rarely in Korea. Methods : A clinical study was performed on 556 patients of M. pneumoniae pneumonia diagnosed serologically at Gil hospital from January 2001 to December 2004. We reviewed 65 cases among these patients, who had elevated level of serum AST and ALT greater than 50 IU/L respectively without evidence of hepatitis A, B, C, Cytomegalovirus and Ebstein-Barr virus infections. Results : Hepatitis occurred in 11.7% of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, especially in fall and winter times. Male to female ratio was 1.2 : 1 and the mean age was 4 years and 3 months. Besides hepatitis, cough(95.4%), sputum(52.3%) and dyspnea(12.3%) were common as pulmonary manifestations. And among gastrointestinal manifestations, nausea/vomiting(26.2%) was the most common symptom, followed by poor oral intake(12.3%), diarrhea(12.3%) and abdominal pain(6.2%). In addition to hepatomegaly(4.6%) and splenomegaly(4.6%), coarse breathing sound was the most common physical manifestation, followed by rale(63.1%), pharyngeal injection(26.2%), and rash(10.8%). Anemia was noted in 20.0%, neutrophilia in 10.8%, eosinphilia in 38.5% and thrombocytosis in 6.2%, respectively. Mean level of ESR and CRP was 32.02 mm/hr and 6.69 mg/dL, respectively. Mean level of AST and ALT was 293.80 IU/L and 181.48 IU/L, respectively. Hyperbilirubinemia was noted in 7.7% and hypoalbuminemia was noted in 58.5%. Lobar or lobular pneumonia(78.5%) was the most common finding in chest X-ray and left lower lobe(39.2%) was most commonly affected. Pleural effusion was noted in 26.2%. Mean duration of hospitalization was 9.91 days. Serum AST/ALT level was normalized within 9.94 days and pulmonary consolidation resolved within 14.29 days. Conclusion : The prognosis of M. pneumoniae hepatitis is good. However, liver function should be considerately checked in M. pneumoniae infection because its incidence is not so low.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 1999

Purpose : Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia has been to be developed frequently in school age children and adolescence and hard to see under 3 year-old children. But it seems to be increased in number of patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia under 3-year old in clinical practice in these days. We have aimed to examine the characteristics of clinical findings of Mycoplasma pneumonia under 3 year-old children. Methods : We had performed retrospective review of medical records of 30 patients with Mycoplasmal pneumonia under 3-year old children who admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Kyunghee University Hospital from Jan. 1994 to Dec. 1997. The diagnostic criteriae was Cold agglutinin titer>1:64 or Mycoplasma antibody titer>1:80. Results : Mycoplasmal pneumonia was 30 out of 235 cases(12.7%) of total pneumonia under 3 year old children. Male female ratio was 1.3 : 1 and age distributions were 0~1y : 0, 1~2y : 8, 2~3y : 22 cases. Clinical symptoms and signs were cough(100.0%), sputum(83.3%), fever(80.0%) rhinorrhea(33.3%), vomiting(33.3%), moist rale(86.7%), decreased breathing sound(26.7%), wheezing(20.0%), and pharyngeal injection(30.0%). Thirteen out of 30 cases(43.3%) had unilateral infiltration, 10 cases(33.4%) had bilateral infiltration, 1 case(3.3%) had pleural effusion, and 6 cases(20.0%) had negative findings on chest radiography and there was no cases of atelectasis. On laboratory findings, 6 out of 30 cases(20.0%) had leukocytosis, 1 case(3.3%) had neutrophilia, 10 cases(30.0%) had eosinophilia, 17 cases(56.7%) had increased ESR, and 18 cases(60.6%) had positive CRP. Positive cold agglutinin titers(>1 : 64) were 19 cases(63.3%), and positive mycoplasma antibody(M-ab) titers(>1 : 80) were 27 cases(93.3%). Mycoplasma antibody test was more valuable than cold agglutinin test for the diagnosis of Mycoplasmal pneumonia and there was no correlation between cold agglutinin titer and mycoplasma antibody titer. Mycoplasma-polymerase chain reaction(M-PCR) was done with 13 cases, 12 out of 13 cases(92.3%) were positive. M-PCR test was valuable to the diagnosis of Mycoplasmal pneumonia but it will be needed to further study for their clinical application. Among 30 cases, 5 cases(16.7%) had complications, 3 cases(10.0%) had skin rash, 1 case(3.3%) had pleural effusion, 1 case(3.3%) had arthralgia, but all complications were mild and recovered without residual sequelae. Conclusion : The occurrence of Mycoplasmal pneumonia under 3 year-old children was not rare from this study. Clinical characteristics of Mycoplasmal pneumonia under 3-year old were normal radiologic findings in many cases, low complication rate, mild clinical course, and tend to rapid recovery compared with general manifestations of Mycoplasmal infectionsin children and adolescence. There were likely to be missed patients with Mycoplasmal pneumonia which did not diagnose by conventional serologic tests that had low sensitivity and specificity. We have to pay attention to the Mycoplasmal infection of the young children with pneumonia during epidemic periods of Mycoplasmal infection.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.405-409
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• 2008

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare form of systemic necrotizing vasculitis that occurs exclusively in patients with asthma, and is associated with blood and tissue eosinophilia. The classic pathology findings in the lung include a combination of eosinophilic pneumonia, granulomatous inflammation and necrotizing vasculitis. However, there are few reports of tracheobronchial mucosal lesions in Churg-Strauss syndrome. We report a case of Churg-Strauss syndrome with multiple tracheobronchial mucosal lesions in a 33-year-old man with a history of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. He had been diagnosed with community acquired pneumonia at another hospital and was treated with antibiotics. However, the chest radiographic findings were aggravated and showed multifocal consolidations in the whole lung fields. He was transferred to the Asan Medical Center. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed multiple nodular mucosal lesions of the trachea and bronchi. The histopathology of the mucosal lesions revealed necrotizing bronchial inflammation with eosinophilic infiltration. Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery was performed. The wedge resected lung tissue revealed chronic eosinophilic pneumonia that was consistent with Churg-Strauss syndrome. Methylprednisolone (1 mg/kg q 8 hr) was prescribed and his symptoms resolved gradually. The chest radiographic findings improved significantly, and a follow-up fiberoptic bronchoscopy performed eight days later showed that the tracheobronchial mucosal lesions had resolved. The patient was prescribed oral prednisolone for 20 months after discharge. Currently, the patient is not taking steroids and is being followed up.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.6
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• pp.459-463
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• 2011

Pulmonary complications occur in 40~60% of patients who receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and are a source of substantial morbidity and mortality. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is an uncommon, non-infectious pulmonary complication occurring in HSCT recipients. We now report the case of a 52-year-old man with AEP who was treated with allogenic HSCT due to acute myeloid leukemia. He complained of fever, cough and dyspnea 390 days after allogenic HSCT. He also had skin and hepatic graft versus host disease (GVHD). Hypoxemia, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on a chest x-ray and eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were also noted in several tests. His symptoms, pulmonary infiltrates, hepatic dysfunction and skin lesions rapidly improved after treatment with corticosteroid therapy. Our case supports the idea that AEP is a late phase non-infectious pulmonary complication and one of the manifestations of chronic GVHD.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.194-201
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• 1991

The Pulmonary Infiltration and Eosinophilia Syndrome (PIE Syndrome) includes a wide spectrum of clinical disorders with pulmonary infiltrates and peripheral eosiophilia. It is poorly understood and ill-defined group of disorders. Often its etiology is poorly delineated. There may exist an eosinophilic type of alveolitis in the category of PIE syndrome. It shows characteristic clinical picture, peripheral eosinophilia and especially dramatic improvement following therapy with corticosteroids. We report a case of the syndrome in 43-year-old man with brief review of contemporary literature. In this case, the diagnosis was confirmed by open lung biopy which showed characteristic eosinophilic alveolitis accompanied by periphiral eosinophilia. Corticosteroid was administered with rapid clinical improvement in this case.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.204-212
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• 1998

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP) is a type of diffuse interstitial lung disease that has emerged in the past decade as an important cause of acute respiratory illness in adult. Clinically, the entity usually starts with a subacute influenza-like illness, followed by cough, progressive dyspnea, and weight loss. Organized inflammatory polypoid materials predominantly affecting distal bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and peribronchial alveolar spaces are a key pathologic findings. BOOP is characterized by a good response to glucocorticoid and an excellent prognosis. However, there is a subset of BOOP who presents with a fulminant course leading to death or chronic severe fibrosis with marked impairment of lung function. Recently, we have experienced a case of rapidly progressive BOOP, diagnosed by open lung biopsy and showed a reluctant response to corticosteroid.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 1999

Background : Open lung biopsy(OLB) has conventionally been regarded as the gold standard for the diagnosis in interstitial lung disease. With recent advances in diagnostic technique such as high resolution computed tomography(HRCT), and transbronchial lung biopsy(TBLB) which provide relatively accurate diagnosis of ILD, it is necessary to reevaluate the role of these methods in the diagnosis of ILD. Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of nineteen patients who underwent OLB at Dankook University Hospital for the diagnosis of acute and chronic ILD, between May 1995 and June 1998. By reviewing the medical records, the demographic findings, underlying conditions, HRCT and TBLB findings, OLB diagnosis, therapy after OLB, and complication of OLB were evaluated. Results: Thirteen patients(68.4%) had chronic ILD(symptom duration over 2 weeks prior to OLB), and six patients(31.6%) had acute ILD(symptom duration less than 2 weeks). Specific diagnosis were reached in 92%(12/13) of chronic ILD(5 bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP), 2 constrictive bronchiolitis, 3 usual interstitial pneumonia, 1 hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 1 eosinophilic pneumonia), and in all patients of acute ILD(5 acute interstitial pneumonia, 1 pneumocystis carinii pneumonia). HRCT were performed in all patients and a correct first choice diagnosis rate of HRCT was 42%(5/12) in chronic ILD. In chronic ILD patients, 62%(8/13) received specific therapy(steroid therapy in 7 patients and moving in one patient), after OLB, but in acute ILD, all patients received specific therapy(steroid therapy in 5 patients and steroid and antibiotic therapy in one patient) after OLB. The in-hospital mortality after OLB was 5.3%(1/19). Conclusion: OLB is an excellent diagnostic technique with relatively low complications in patients with ILD. Therefore OLB should be considered in patients with ILD when the specific diagnosis is important for the treatment, especially in patients with acute ILD.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.8
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• pp.763-768
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• 2003

Purpose : This study was conducted to investigate the pulmonary cellular profiles and IL-8 levels in patients with post-measles wheezing. Methods : Twelve previously healthy infants with a minimum of three episodes of wheezing after measles pneumonia(Measles wheezing, median age, 1.3 years) were recruited by a retrospective examination of hospital records. They underwent bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) with flexible bronchoscopy, and high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT) with a mean six(1-15) months interval. Comparisons were made with seven normal controls(Control, median age : 7.4 years). BAL cell counts and differentials were determined. IL-8 levels also were measured by ELISA. Results : The BAL cellular profiles were characterized by a significantly increased percentage of neutrophils in the Measles wheezing group(median 16.0%) compared to the control group(median 3.8 %)(P<0.01). IL-8 levels were markedly increased in the Measles wheezing group($mean{\pm}SD$, $512.7{\pm}324.0pg/mL$) compared to the control group($41.7{\pm}67.7pg/mL$)(P<0.01). Furthermore, IL-8 levels correlated significantly(r=0.816, P=0.001) with neutrophil percentages in BAL fluids in the Measles wheezing group. Abnormal HRCT findings were mosaic perfusion, bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, and decreased vascularity. Conclusion : These results suggest that pulmonary neutrophils and IL-8 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the post-measles wheezing.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.592-597
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• 2010

Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES) is a rare immunodeficiency disease which is characterized by high serum IgE levels, eczema, and recurrent infections. Herein we present the case of a patient with HIES associated with STAT3 gene ($stat3$) mutation. A 16 year-old girl was admitted to our hospital due to hemoptysis caused by pneumonia with bronchiectasis. She had a history of recurrent skin and respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia caused by MRSA (methicillin-resistant $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$) and $Pseudomonas$ $aeruginosa$. On physical examination, a broad round shaped nose, oral thrush, and chronic eczematous skin rash over her whole body were found. Laboratory data showed an elevated eosinophil count ($750/{\mu}L$) and total IgE level (5,001 U/mL). The patient's National Institutes of Health (NIH) score for HIES was 44. Direct sequencing of the STAT3 gene revealed that the patient was heterozygous for a missense mutation in the DNA binding domain of the STAT3 protein (c.1144C>T, p. Arg382Trp). HIES should be suspected in patients with recurrent infections and can be confirmed by clinical scoring and genetic analysis.