title: [Eight cases of idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis followed up for more than 4 years].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few reports exist regarding the long-term clinical course of idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We retrospectively studied the clinical courses of 8 patients. The patients were 4 men and 4 women aged 48.4 +/- 14.0 years (mean +/- SD) with idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis followed up for a minimum of more than 4 years. Mean follow-up was 13 years and 6 months (4-22 years and 9 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 15 instances of whole-lung lavage and/or bronchoalveolar lavage in 7 patients, and lavage was effective 40% of cases. Spontaneous improvement occurred 16 times and exacerbation occurred 7 times in 8 patients. On chest X-ray films, the shadows disappeared in 5 of 8 (62.5%) patients, and in 4 of 5 patients, shadows disappeared 5 or more years after diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Pulmonary shadows have not disappeared in the remaining 3 patients at the time of writing but have shown improvement compared with first presentation. There were no deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As indicated in previous reports, the long-term outcome of idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis appears to be good.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takayanagi
authors.forename: Shozaburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Daido
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawabata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011649:Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies