[Drug-induced interstitial lung diseases]

Rev Prat. 2014 Sep;64(7):951-6.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Drug-induced infiltrative lung disease may manifest as variable clinical radiological patterns, including subacute or chronic interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, eosinophilic pneumonia, organising pneumonia, pulmonary edema, or sarcoidosis. A large amount of drugs have been incriminated, including those used in cardiovascular diseases (amiodarone, statins and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors), antibiotics (minocycline, nitrofurantoin), most of anticancer drugs (and especially chemotherapy and chest radiation), treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as more recent drugs. A high index of suspicion is therefore required in any patient with infiltrative lung disease and the web-based tool www.pneumotox.com will help to list possible causative drugs. The following steps are necessary: history and timing of drug exposure, clinical and imaging pattern, exclusion of other causes of infiltrative lung disease, improvement following drug discontinuation. Rechallenge, dangerous, is not recommended.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions* / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Iatrogenic Disease
  • Lung Diseases, Interstitial / chemically induced*
  • Lung Diseases, Interstitial / diagnosis
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Radiography, Thoracic

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents