Four Fatal Cases of Amiodarone-Induced Pulmonary Toxicity.

Lee, Seung Woo; Lee, Sang Haak; Yeo, Dong Seung; Lee, Sook Young; Lee, Seok Chan; Kim, Kwan Hyoung; Moon, Hwa Sik; Song, Jeong Sup; Park, Sung Hak; Jung, Eun Sun

doi:2002.53.6.662

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 53(6); 2002 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2002;53(6):662-672.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2002.53.6.662 Published online December 1, 2002.

Four Fatal Cases of Amiodarone-Induced Pulmonary Toxicity.

Seung Woo Lee, Sang Haak Lee, Dong Seung Yeo, Sook Young Lee, Seok Chan Lee, Kwan Hyoung Kim, Hwa Sik Moon, Jeong Sup Song, Sung Hak Park, Eun Sun Jung

¹Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. mdlee@catholic.ac.kr
²Department of Clinical Pathology, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

The lungs are frequently the site of adverse drug reactions because of their higher oxygen concentration, the distinctive properties of the pulmonary circulation, and the close proximity of the alveolar epithelium to the blood. Amiodarone, an iodinated benzofuran derivative, is an effective antiarrhythmic drug commonly used for refractory tachyarrhythmia. However, it has a wide range of adverse effects, the most serious of which is lung disease. Most patients present with the insidious onset of dyspnea and a nonproductive cough, and generally recover after withdrawing the drug. We recently experienced four fatal cases of amiodarone pulmonary toxicity. Therefore, we discuss these unusual drug-induced pulmonary toxicity cases with a review of the relevant literature.

Key Words: Amiodarone, Lung, Toxicity