Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis occurring in a Malaysian patient.

A young East Malaysian lady presented with haemoptysis in 1989. Since then she had recurrent episodes of dyspnoea and two occasions of respiratory failure requiring assisted ventilation. An open lung biopsy showed intra-alveolar haemorrhage with diffuse interstitial fibrosis consistent with idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis after excluding secondary causes of pulmonary haemorrhage. She failed to respond to corticosteroid and continued to depend on oxygen until she succumbed to the illness 2 years after the presentation.