Medicina (Jul 2022)

Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis and Pregnancy: A Review of the Literature and Case Presentation

  • Brindusa Ana Cimpoca Raptis,
  • Anca Maria Panaitescu,
  • Gheorghe Peltecu,
  • Nicolae Gica,
  • Radu Botezatu,
  • Mihaela Roxana Popescu,
  • Anca Macri,
  • Ana Constantin,
  • Bogdan Pavel

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58080984
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 58, no. 8
p. 984

Abstract

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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (PAP) is a rare, usually autoimmune, disease, where surfactant accumulates within alveoli due to decreased clearance, causing dyspnea and hypoxemia. The disease is even more rare in pregnancy; nevertheless, it has been reported in pregnant women and can even appear for the first time during pregnancy as an asthma-like illness. Therefore, awareness is important. Similarly to many autoimmune diseases, it can worsen during pregnancy and postpartum, causing maternal and fetal/neonatal complications. This paper offers a narrative literature review of PAP and pregnancy, while illustrating a case of a pregnant patient with known PAP who developed preeclampsia in the third trimester but had an overall fortunate maternal and neonatal outcome.

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