Early diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis: increased haemosiderin-laden macrophages in repeat bronchoscopy

Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis Associated with Emphysematous Change in an Adult Who Underwent Lung Transplantation

Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis is characterized by repeated alveolar hemorrhaging. We herein report a 52-year-old Japanese woman who had shortness of breath, diffuse small nodules, thin-walled cysts, and bronchiolectasis. A surgical lung biopsy revealed peribronchial hemosiderosis, centrilobular emphysema, and fragile elastic fibers of the alveolar septa and small vessels. She ultimately underwent living-donor lung transplantation five years after the first visit.

Early diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis: increased haemosiderin-laden macrophages in repeat bronchoscopy

Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH) is a diagnosis of exclusion, which is characterized by persistent or recurrent episodes of alveolar haemorrhage. Early diagnosis of IPH, especially in the case of first‐time manifestation, is challenging because previous episodes of alveolar haemorrhage are often difficult to prove. Repeated episodes of alveolar haemorrhage can result in chronic iron‐deficient anaemia and irreversible interstitial fibrosis; thus, early recognition and intervention are desirable in terms of clinical outcome. We report a case of IPH that was diagnosed early by confirming the presence of an increased number of haemosiderin‐laden macrophages with alveolar haemorrhage in repeat bronchoscopy. We wanted to highlight that decreased but sustained attenuation of ground‐glass opacities on high‐resolution computed tomography does not always correlate with successful remission in patients with IPH. Repeat bronchoscopy can be useful in the early recognition of IPH, especially in the case of sustained opacities a few months after alveolar haemorrhage.