title: Significant improvement from chronic beryllium disease following corticosteroid pulse therapy.
abstract: Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a rare disease characterized by diffuse interstitial pulmonary granulomatosis. We report a case of CBD which exhibited marked improvement both subjectively and objectively following pulse therapy. The patient was a 36-year-old man whose chief complaint was dyspnea and a dry cough. Since July 1990, the patient had been working in the development of an automatic or mechanical technique for producing beryllium-copper alloy. It appeared likely that the patient may have been exposed to metal beryllium fumes generated from an opening located just above the furnace. The Be concentration exceeded 25 microg/m3 transiently in the breathing zone in this workplace. A chest X-ray film taken in October 1994 showed fine granular shadows throughout the entire lung fields. Around August 1998, the patient's dyspnea became aggravated. An X-ray taken at that time showed linear and reticular shadows, in addition to the diffuse fine granular shadow. In October 1998, after 3 days of methylprednisolone pulse therapy, oral prednisolone 30 mg was initiated. With this treatment, the patient's pulmonary function tests and blood gases improved. Once the patient's condition had improved sufficiently, the dosage of prednisolone was decreased by 2.5 mg every two weeks. The patient continues to be monitored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, School of Medicine Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakakibara
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: Hiroshige
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taniwaki
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001607:Berylliosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020551:Pulse Therapy, Drug
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone; D008775:Methylprednisolone