[Clinical manifestations of organizing pneumonia]. / Manifestaciones clínicas de la neumonía en organización.

Organizing pneumonia is a clinical entity asociated with nonspecific symptoms and radiological findings and abnormalities in pulmonary function tests. It is defined by the characteristic histopathological pattern: filling of alveoli and respiratory bronchioles by plugs of granulation tissue. It can be idiopathic (COP) or secondary to other causes (SOP). It is an unusual finding and the clinical and radiographic findings are nonspecific. For specific diagnosis an invasive procedure has to be done, but often empirical treatment is started when there's a clinical suspicion. We describe the clinical characteristics of 13 patients with histological diagnosis of organizing pneumonia. Data was obtained from their medical records. The median age was 76 years and the median time to diagnosis from the onset of symptoms was 31 days. In 10 cases the diagnosis was made by transbronchial biopsy. 8 patients required hospitalization, 4 of them received high doses of steroids and 3 required ventilatory support. One patient died from a cause attributable to this entity and 5 relapsed. Dyspnea, cough and fever were the most frequent symptoms. Most patients had more than one tomographic pattern being the most common ground glass opacities and alveolar consolidation. Nine patients were diagnosed with COP and 4 with SOP. The most frequent underlying cause of SOP was drug toxicity. The clinical characteristics of the reported cases are consistent with previously published series. As an interesting feature, there was a group of patients that needed high doses of steroids and ventilatory support.

Manifestaciones clínicas de la neumonía en organización / Clinical manifestations of organizing pneumonia

La neumonía en organización es una entidad clínica asociada a síntomas y hallazgos radiológicos inespecíficos y anomalías en las pruebas de función pulmonar. El patrón histopatológico característico se define por tapones intra-alveolares de tejido de granulación. Puede presentarse sin una etiología determinada -neumonía en organización criptogénica (COP, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia)- o en otra condición clínica -neumonía en organización secundaria (SOP: secondary organizing pneumonia). Es poco frecuente y las manifestaciones clínico-radiológicas son poco específicas. Para su confirmación se requieren procedimientos invasivos, siendo habitual el tratamiento empírico con esteroides sistémicos ante la sospecha clínica. Se presentan 13 casos con diagnóstico histológico de neumonía en organización describiendo las características clínicas. La mediana de edad fue 76 años y la de tiempo al diagnóstico desde el inicio de los síntomas: 31 días. En 10 casos el diagnóstico fue por biopsia transbronquial (BTB). Ocho pacientes requirieron internación, 4 de ellos recibieron pulsos de esteroides y soporte ventilatorio. Uno falleció por una causa atribuible a la entidad y 5 presentaron recaídas. Disnea, tos y fiebre fueron los síntomas más frecuentes. La mayoría presentó más de un patrón tomográfico, siendo los más habituales vidrio esmerilado y consolidación alveolar. En 9 se realizó el diagnóstico de COP y en 4 de SOP. La causa secundaria en todos los casos fue toxicidad por drogas. Las características clínicas de los casos comunicados son consistentes con las series previamente publicadas. Cabe destacar la necesidad de tratamiento con dosis altas de esteroides y soporte ventilatorio en un grupo de pacientes.

Organizing pneumonia is a clinical entity asociated with nonspecific symptoms and radiological findings and abnormalities in pulmonary function tests. It is defined by the characteristic histopathological pattern: filling of alveoli and respiratory bronchioles by plugs of granulation tissue. It can be idiopathic (COP) or secondary to other causes (SOP). It is an unusual finding and the clinical and radiographic findings are nonspecific. For specific diagnosis an invasive procedure has to be done, but often empirical treatment is started when there’s a clinical suspicion. We describe the clinical characteristics of 13 patients with histological diagnosis of organizing pneumonia. Data was obtained from their medical records. The median age was 76 years and the median time to diagnosis from the onset of symptoms was 31 days. In 10 cases the diagnosis was made by transbronchial biopsy. 8 patients required hospitalization, 4 of them received high doses of steroids and 3 required ventilatory support. One patient died from a cause attributable to this entity and 5 relapsed. Dyspnea, cough and fever were the most frequent symptoms. Most patients had more than one tomographic pattern being the most common ground glass opacities and alveolar consolidation. Nine patients were diagnosed with COP and 4 with SOP. The most frequent underlying cause of SOP was drug toxicity. The clinical characteristics of the reported cases are consistent with previously published series. As an interesting feature, there was a group of patients that needed high doses of steroids and ventilatory support.

Pneumonia em organização secundária ao uso de abciximab: relato de caso / Secondary organizing pneumonia after Abciximab use: case report

Relata-se o caso de paciente octogenária, com infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM) em evolução, que desenvolveu quadro inflamatório pulmonar agudo, compatível com diagnóstico de pneumonia em organização secundária ao uso de abciximab intracoronariano, em angioplastia percutânea coronariana (APC). Esse diagnóstico foi firmado por meio de alterações clínicas, radiográficas e tomográficas típicas e pela regressão dessas alterações após terapia com corticosteroide.

This report presents the case of an octogenarian female patient with acute myocardial infarction who developed an acute inflammatory pulmonary condition compatible with a diagnosis of secondary organizing pneumonia after intracoronary abciximab during percutaneous coronary angioplasty. This diagnosis was grounded on typical clinical, radiographic and tomographic alterations and the regression of these alterations after corticoid treatment.

Secondary bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia during treatment of chronic hepatitis C: role of pegylated interferon alfa-2a / Bronquiolite obliterante com pneumonia em organização durante o tratamento da hepatite crônica C: papel do interferon peguilado alfa-2a

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C has frequent side effects such as cytopenias and neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, pulmonary toxicity associated with interferon is rarely described. This paper describes the clinical case of a 67-year-old female patient with chronic hepatitis C who presented an acute onset of dry cough, dyspnoea, and fever 36 weeks after the use of pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin. The lung biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). Corticotherapy was initiated, with clinical and radiological improvement. This paper aims to advise physicians to this occasional, though severe, adverse event related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment.

O tratamento da hepatite C crônica apresenta efeitos colaterais frequentes como citopenias e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos. Contudo, a toxicidade pulmonar associada ao interferon é raramente descrita. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente com 67 anos que apresentou início agudo de tosse, dispnéia e febre após 36 semanas de uso do interferon peguilado alfa-2a e ribavirina. A biópsia pulmonar confirmou o diagnóstico de bronquiolite obliterante com pneumonia em organização, com significativa melhora clínico-radiológica após instituída a corticoterapia. Este relato de caso visa alertar os médicos para a possibilidade desse ocasional, embora grave, evento adverso associado ao tratamento da hepatite C.

Recidiva en bronquiolitis obliterante con neumonía en organización: BOOP / Relapsein bronchholitis obliterans organizing pneumonia: boop

Although relapses are frequent in bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), there is scant information regarding the causes underlying its occurrence. We report a 63 year old woman with clinical and radiological features compatible with BOOP. No underlying cause was identified so she was thought to have cryptogenic BOOP or cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP). A transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated chronic organizing pneumonia and features of proliferative bronchiolitis. She was successfully treated with prednisone. On the eighth month of steroid therapy, while tapering the dose, she begun with cough and dyspnea and developed new lung infiltrates on the chest x-ray film. The infiltrates cleared rapidly after increasing the dose of steroids. We discuss the possible causes of relapse in BOOP and its relation to steroid therapy.

Las recaídas son frecuentes en la bronquiolitis obliterante con neumonía en organización (BOOP), sin embargo, existe poca información con respecto a su causa. Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 63 años con un cuadro clínico radiológico compatible con BOOP. No se identificó una causa subyacente por lo que se planteó el diagnóstico de neumonía en organización criptogénica o COP. Se realizaron biopsias transbronquiales que demostraron una neumonía crónica organizada y bronquiolitis proliferativa. Se trató con prednisona con buena respuesta. Al octavo mes de tratamiento, mientras se disminuía la dosis de esteroides, comenzó con disnea y tos y aparición de nuevas opacidades pulmonares radiológicos, las que regresaron rápidamente al aumentar la dosis de esteroides. Discutimos las causas posibles de la recidiva de esta patología y su relación con la disminución de la dosis de esteroides.