[Amiodarone induced pulmonary fibrosis--a clinical case report].
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.
Silva
Marta N
MN
Serviço de Pneumologia, Hospital de São João de Deus, 4761-917 V.N. Famalicão.
Bacellar
Patrícia
P
Martins
Helena
H
Tinoco
Nélia
N
Costa
Francisco
F
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*
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000638:Amiodarone