A Case of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis by Alternaria as a Suspected Etiology.

Do, Yun Kyung; Kim, Yeon Jae; Kang, Hyun Jae; Yu, Kyung Sul; Yun, Hae Jin; Jun, Jae Hyun; Lee, Byung Ki; Song, Do Young

doi:2003.54.3.338

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 54(3); 2003 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2003;54(3):338-345.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2003.54.3.338 Published online March 1, 2003.

A Case of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis by Alternaria as a Suspected Etiology.

Yun Kyung Do, Yeon Jae Kim, Hyun Jae Kang, Kyung Sul Yu, Hae Jin Yun, Jae Hyun Jun, Byung Ki Lee, Do Young Song

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea. persimmonkim@lycos.co.kr
²Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

A 65-year-old man was admitted due to low grade fever, dry coughing, and dyspnea on exertion. The chest radiograph and CT scan showed diffuse ground glass opacities and small nodules in the both lung fields resulting in a diagnosis of severe interstitial pneumonia. Conservative treatment with antibiotics and bronchodilators decreased the symptoms, but the dyspnea and cough reappeared when he returned home. An inspection of his house revealed the presence of fungi under the wallpaper. His symptoms disappeared completely after these were removed. His clinical course raised the suspicion of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and these fungi believed to be the cause of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The histological findings of a lung specimen by video-assisted thorachoscopy were compatible with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The fungi were identified as Alternaria.

Key Words: Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Fungus, Alternaria