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Vol. 45. Issue 7.
Pages 352-355 (July 2009)
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Vol. 45. Issue 7.
Pages 352-355 (July 2009)
Case report
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Rapid Resolution of Nitrofurantoin-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease
Nitrofurantoína y enfermedad pulmonar intersticial de rápida resolución
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Miguel Ángel Núñez Viejoa,
Corresponding author
manuvi2004@hotmail.com

Corresponding author.
, Ana Fernández Montesa, Javier Velasco Montesa, José Javier Gómez-Románb, Carmen García Ibarbiaa, José Luis Hernández Hernándeza
a Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
b Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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Abstract

We report the case of a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with interstitial lung disease due to long-term nitrofurantoin therapy. Despite severely distorted bronchiolar architecture and honeycombing confirmed by computed tomography of the thorax, transbronchial biopsy showed a pattern of acute/subacute interstitial pneumonitis and the symptoms and radiographic findings disappeared within 1 month after administration of prednisone. This case shows that nitrofurantoin-induced lung disease may run a benign course and respond favorably to corticosteroids, even when there is radiographic evidence of established lung fibrosis. Transbronchial biopsy might be useful for assessing the reversibility of pulmonary lesions associated with nitrofurantoin.

Keywords:
Nitrofurantoin
Interstitial lung disease
Transbronchial biopsy
Corticosteroids
Resumen

Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 40 años diagnosticada de enfermedad pulmonar intersticial secundaria a la administración crónica de nitrofurantoína. A pesar de la grave desestructuración de la arquitectura bronquiolar y una tomografía computarizada de tórax que confirmó la presencia de panalización, la biopsia transbronquial mostró un patrón de neumonitis intersticial aguda-subaguda y el cuadro clínico y radiológico se resolvió en el plazo de un mes tras la administración de prednisona. Este caso pone de manifiesto que la enfermedad pulmonar inducida por nitrofurantoína puede llegar a ser una entidad benigna con respuesta favorable a los corticoides, incluso en el caso de que haya datos radiológicos de fibrosis pulmonar establecida. La biopsia transbronquial podría ser una prueba útil para evaluar la reversibilidad de las lesiones pulmonares asociadas a la nitrofurantoína

Palabras clave:
Nitrofurantoína
Enfermedad pulmonar intersticial
Biopsia transbronquial
Corticoides
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Copyright © 2009. Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica
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