Development of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis following exposure to dust after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
We report a unique case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis that developed 3 weeks after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. The patient had inhaled dust repeatedly while visiting her devastated neighborhood without wearing a protective mask. Five weeks after the earthquake, lung samples taken from the patient showed foreign particle deposition; however, her serum was negative for GM-CSF autoantibody. The patient's clinical symptoms resolved following whole lung lavage. We conclude that inhalation of fine dust particles after natural disasters may cause the onset of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate, School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan. Electronic address: hisata@idac.tohoku.ac.jp.
Shu
S
Hisata
Hiroshi
H
Moriyama
Ryushi
R
Tazawa
Shinya
S
Ohkouchi
Masakazu
M
Ichinose
Masahito
M
Ebina
D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D004391:Dust; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011649:Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D057192:Tsunamis
D004391:Dust; D052638:Particulate Matter
BALF; CEA; COPD; CT; Earthquake; GM-CSF; GM-CSF autoantibody; HRCT; KL-6; Krebs von den Lungen-6; PAP; Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; SP-D; TBLB; Whole lung lavage; bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; carcinobembryonic antigen; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; computed tomography; granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor; high-resolution computed tomography; pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; surfactant protein D; transbronchial lung biopsy