The Journal of the Japanese Respiratory Society ONLINE JOURNAL
ABSTRACT
Full Text of PDF (296k)
Article in Japanese
Case Report
A Case of Sarcoidosis Acutely Aggravated with High Fever and Diffuse Interstitial Pulmonary Infiltrates
Takashi Yanagawa1) , Junko Okada1) , Akihiko Mochida1) , Tsunehiro Andoh1) , So-ichiro Ikushima1) , Masaru Oritsu1) , Osamu Akiyama2) and Tamiko Takemura3)
1)Department of Respiratory Diseases, 2)5th Department of Internal Medicine, and 3)Department of Pathology, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, 4-1-22 Hiro-o, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
ABSTRACT
We present a case of sarcoidosis acutely aggravated with high fever and diffuse interstitial pulmonary infiltrates in a female patient at the age of 64. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed in another hospital as a result of iritis, chest radiography findings, and a negative reaction in a tuberculin skin test. She was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea and a high temperature of 39º C in February 1994. A marked hypoxemia (PaO246.5torr) was found in arterial blood gas analysis. Chest radiography revealed a bilateral diffuse reticulo-nodular shadows, and chest CT showed ground glass opacity predominant posteriorly. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed an increase in lymphocytes and an increased ratio of CD 4 to CD8T lymphocyte. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed lymphocytic alveolitis and proliferation of epithelioid cell granulomas in the alveolar septa and intraalveolar spaces. The patient was treated for deterioration of sarcoidosis with 40 mg of prednisolone and her respiratory status and the radiographic findings improved rapidly. With dose tapering of prednisolone, dyspnea and deterioration of the radiographic findings occurred, but with addition of a weekly low dose of methotrexate, dose reduction of prednisolone was achieved.
KEYWORDS: Sarcoidosis, Fever, Diffuse pulmonary interstitial infiltrates, Methotrexate
RECEIVED: 2000.8.16
JJRS, 39(5): 377-382, 2001
