title: [Amiodarone induced pulmonary fibrosis--a clinical case report].
abstract: Amiodarone is an antiarrhytmic drug and it is used to treat supraventricular or ventricular rhythm disturbances. Nevertheless it is not free of side effects. Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity is one of them and is relatively rare (5 to 10% of cases) and can be fatal. There are several cumulative factors that may enhance susceptibility to pulmonary toxicity, such as advanced age and pre-existing pulmonary dysfunction. We present a case study of amiodarone-induced toxicity (pulmonary fibrosis) in an 81-year-old man. The patient had been treated with amiodarone for five years in daily dose 200 mg/day. After withdrawing the drug and systemic corticosteroid therapy, clinical, functional and radiological improvement was observed. This case confirms the needs of a vigilant monitoring and early diagnosis of the adverse effects of amiodarone therapy, and the difficulty of diagnosing it due to the nonspecificity of symptoms, clinical findings, and test results.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Pneumologia, Hospital de São João de Deus, 4761-917 V.N. Famalicão.
authors.forename: Marta N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bacellar
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Nélia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tinoco
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000638:Amiodarone