Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonia

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Abstract
Thirty-three cases of desquamative interstitial pneumonia were reported. All patients initially had dyspnea on exertion, and the majority had persistent cough and varying degrees of cyanosis, clubbing and chest pain. A number of these patients had progressive disease which resulted in death. Although the process seems to be less severe than the usual interstitial pneumonia, only 1 patient apparently recovered completely. This report presents 2 cases of desquamative interstitial pneumonia. One patient was entirely asymptomatic when the disease was discovered on a routine chest roentgenogram. In the year following diagnostic lung biopsy, he has remained asymptomatic and the infiltrative process on the chest film has gradually cleared. The 2nd patient presented with chest pain of 6 mos. duration and moderate dyspnea on exertion of 2 years duration. Chest roentgenogram revealed the presence of a diffuse pulmonary infiltrate. This infiltrate was present on multiple chest films dating back to 1954. Pulmonary function tests in both patients were normal or only mildly abnormal. Desquamative interstitial pneumonia is a disease with a wide clinical spectrum ranging from severe incapacitating fatal illness to a mild asymptomatic state.

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