title: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: prolonged spontaneous remission in two patients.
abstract: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare idiopathic diffuse airspace disease characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of large quantities of lipoproteinaceous material, with preservation of the lung interstitium. The clinical course of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is variable. Spontaneous resolution is known to occur in up to a quarter of the cases. We describe two patients with untreated pulmonary alveolar proteinosis who experienced complete clinical, functional and radiographic resolution. In follow-up periods of fourteen and six years, both patients have remained asymptomatic.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hospital La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martínez-López
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gómez-Cerezo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Villasante
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cobo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Medraño
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011649:Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011859:Radiography; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests