title: Amiodarone-related pneumonitis and peripheral neuropathy in an elderly patient.
abstract: Amiodarone, which has been used since 1967 as an antiarrhythmic drug, gives rise to a variety of cardiac and extracardiac adverse side-effects. Among these, pulmonary toxicity is considered the most frequent and serious extracardiac side-effect, since it may occur in various atypical forms and often limits the drug's clinical use. We encountered a 67-year-old white male patient with suspected amiodarone pneumonitis characterized by multiple lung nodules associated with pleural and pericardial effusion and peripheral neuropathy. Because differential diagnosis with pulmonary infectious diseases may be extremely difficult, the attending physician should therefore bear in mind the possibility of amiodarone pneumonitis whenever the drug is given.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Nephrology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via G. Massarenti 11, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Nirmala
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosseti
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calza
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piergentili
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cascavilla
authors.forename: Fabio Filippo
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Trapani
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berlingeri
authors.forename: Ginevra
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marinacci
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Attard
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verucchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000638:Amiodarone