Treatment of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis with inhaled flunisolide.

Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH), a rare clinical entity, is characterized by bleeding into the alveoli and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. It is usually treated with systemic corticosteroids during acute bleeding episodes and with prolonged courses of oral corticosteroids and/or other immunosuppressant drugs for maintenance therapy. Because prolonged treatment with these agents is frequently associated with significant side effects, favorable response to inhaled corticosteroids would be ideal in this condition. We report the case of a patient with IPH successfully treated with inhaled flunisolide.