Drug-induced interstitial lung disease due to over-the-counter cold medicine taken daily for 25 years: a case report

Journal of Medical Case Reports

Case Report

Seizo Kadowaki¹  Masataka Matsumoto²  Isao Ito³ 

[1] Department of Internal Medicine, Ono Municipal Hospital, 323 Naka-Cho, 675-1332, Ono, Hyogo, Japan;Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kitaharima Medical Center, 926-250 Ichiba-Cho, 675-1392, Ono, Hyogo, Japan;Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyo, 606-8507, Kyoto, Japan;Department of Internal Medicine, Ono Municipal Hospital, 323 Naka-Cho, 675-1332, Ono, Hyogo, Japan;

关键词: Drug-induced interstitial lung disease;    Over-the-counter;    Acetaminophen;    Cold medicine;    Side effect;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13256-022-03717-9

 received in 2022-03-06, accepted in 2022-12-08,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionWe report a rare case of drug-induced interstitial lung disease due to over-the-counter cold medicine taken daily for 25 years to clear the patient’s head.Case presentationA 77-year-old Japanese man presented to our hospital with a worsening cough that started 5 years ago. Chest radiographs and computed tomography images showed bilateral opacities, and transbronchial lung biopsy specimens showed an organizing pneumonia pattern. He reported taking the same over-the-counter cold medicine daily for the past 25 years to clear his head. We suspected that the cold medicine caused the lung opacities and asked him to stop taking them. His cough, general fatigue, and chest infiltrate gradually diminished. However, 6 months later, he resumed the same treatment because of a cold. The following month, he presented with severe worsening cough and chest radiographical findings. We diagnosed drug-induced interstitial lung disease. He improved by stopping the cold medicine again and taking prednisolone.ConclusionsOver-the-counter cold medicines are easily accessible at the drugstore. In cases of diffuse lung disease, we should consider drug-induced interstitial lung disease due to over-the-counter cold medicine, which patients have been taking not only for weeks or months but also years.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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