Consider Nitrofurantoin as a Cause of Lung Injury
  • Paulo Almeida
    Department of Internal Medicine Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
  • Eduarda Seixas
    Department of Pneumology, Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
  • Beatriz Pinheiro
    Department of Internal Medicine Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
  • Pedro Ferreira
    Department of Pneumology, Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
  • Ana Araújo
    Department of Internal Medicine Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal

Keywords

Nitrofurantoin, pulmonary toxicity, drug-induced lung toxicity, organising pneumonia

Abstract

Nitrofurantoin-induced diffuse lung toxicity is well documented in the literature but is often misdiagnosed. We describe an 82-year-old female medicated with nitrofurantoin for the previous 2 years who was admitted for dyspnoea, dry cough and fatigue for 4 months. She was febrile and tachypnoeic and she presented with bilateral basal crackles, hypoxaemic respiratory failure and slightly elevated C-reactive protein levels. A chest radiograph showed bilateral air-space consolidation and interstitial infiltrates and the high-resolution computed tomography scan was evocative of a perilobular pattern of organising pneumonia (OP). Due to the clinical–radiological context, she was diagnosed with a presumable nitrofurantoin-induced OP. She was started on prednisolone 60 mg daily with a progressive improvement. It is important that clinicians are aware of the spectrum of side effects associated with nitrofurantoin so as to monitor patients.

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    Published: 2019-10-30
    Issue: Vol 6 No 11 (view)


    How to cite:
    1.
    Almeida P, Seixas E, Pinheiro B, Ferreira P, Araújo A. Consider Nitrofurantoin as a Cause of Lung Injury. EJCRIM 2019;6 doi:10.12890/2019_001295.