Hemoptysis in a 77-year-old male with a systolic murmur

Pulmonary hemosiderosis secondary to mitral stenosis: a case report

Background

Pulmonary hemosiderosis is a rare disease that may be idiopathic or have a secondary etiology, such as mitral stenosis. The disease is a clinical and functional consequence of iron overload in the lungs in the form of hemosiderin. The diagnosis should be considered in patients with miliary nodules on chest tomography.

Case presentation

We report a case of a 30-year-old man with severe mitral stenosis who presented with chest pain and dyspnea. High-resolution chest tomography showed bilateral centrilobular micronodules. The diagnosis of pulmonary hemosiderosis secondary to mitral stenosis was suggested by transbronchial biopsy.

Conclusion

The diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis requires the exclusion of other etiologies of alveolar hemorrhage, including infections and vasculitis. One possible etiology is mitral stenosis.

Miliary nodules due to secondary pulmonary hemosiderosis in rheumatic heart disease

Pulmonary hemosiderosis is defined as the clinical and functional consequence of iron overload of the lungs, which usually occurs due to recurrent intra-alveolar bleeding. It can manifest as miliary mottling and should be entertained in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with miliary nodules on chest radiography, especially those with mitral stenosis. The management of secondary pulmonary hemosiderosis secondary to valvular heart disease includes valvuloplasty and/or valve replacement. The radiological opacities may disappear with successful treatment of the underlying valvular disease in many patients. However, they may persist with no physiological impairment to the patient. Here, we present a 32-year-old man with mitral stenosis who presented with fever and miliary shadows on chest radiography, which was ultimately diagnosed as secondary pulmonary hemosiderosis.