Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis in a Young Adult Patient: A Rare Case

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is often an ignored and rare cause of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). It is characterized by triad of hemoptysis, anemia, and alveolar opacity on radiology. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, established after ruling out other causes of DAH such as Goodpasture’s syndrome, large vessel vasculitis, small vessel vasculitis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) (Wegener’s granulomatosis, Churg–Strauss syndrome, microscopic polyangiitis), immune complex-related vasculitis (collagen vascular diseases, Henoch–Schönlein purpura, mixed cryoglobulinemia) drug reactions, anticoagulation and thrombocytopenia. Though it is a disease primarily affecting children, we hereby report a case of IPH in an adult patient who responded dramatically to oral corticosteroid.

Keywords

• Corticosteroid
• diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
• idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis