Uchihara Teruhito, Haranaga Shusaku, Azuma Masato, Yara Satomi, Higa Futoshi, Tateyama Masao, Fujita Jiro
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (First Department of Internal Medicine), Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus.
Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2007 Dec;45(12):943-6.
A 20-year-old man visited a clinic with high fever and a dyspnea. The chest X-ray film and CT showed multiple patchy ground glass opacities in all lung fields with thickened interlobular septa and bilateral pleural effusions. Examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid led to a diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia. The patient was a current smoker and he had changed the brand of cigarette he smoked from one with a filter to another brand without filter, one week before disease onset. His symptoms improved after the administration of methylprednisolone. This case suggested that the presence of a filter or a difference in ingredients, or both, between brands of cigarette might contribute to the development of acute eosinophilic pneumonia.