Eosinophilic pneumonia associated with concomitant cigarette and marijuana smoking

Aparna Natarajan

Payal Shah

Aibek Mirrakhimov

Nasir Hussain

Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA

^{Dr Aibek E Mirrakhimov,}moc.liamg@1vomihkarrima

Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA

^{Dr Aibek E Mirrakhimov,}moc.liamg@1vomihkarrima

Abstract

A 29-year-old Caucasian man presented for the evaluation of a new onset of shortness of breath associated with cough and wheeze for 1 day. The history was significant for a recent travel of 20 h duration to Houston, a new onset of cigarette smoking for 2 weeks and marijuana smoking. The patient was afebrile and did not have any leg swelling; initial diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia was made and the patient was started on antibiotics. Despite being on antibiotics, his medical condition continued to deteriorate and extensive diagnostic workup for infectious and autoimmune aetiology including bronchoalveolar lavage was completed and was inconclusive. Ultimately, the patient underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy which led to the diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia. Steroids were started with a good treatment response. The patient was discharged on a tapering dose of steroids; a follow-up chest x ray at 6 weeks was within normal limits.

Abstract

Learning points

Footnotes

Contributors: All authors contributed equally to this manuscript.

Competing interests: None.

Patient consent: Obtained.

Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

Footnotes

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