Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a child

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare disease of unknown etiology and is usually associated with a poor prognosis. Up to the present, less than 50 cases of IPF in children have been reported in the English literature, and no case has ever been reported from Taiwan. Herein we report on a 2-year-old boy with IPF presenting with a rapid onset of dyspnea followed by respiratory failure. The diagnosis of IPF was verified with an open lung biopsy. Despite intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and empiric nitric oxide treatment, he expired on the 35th day after admission due to profound hypoxemia. A diagnosis of IPF should be included in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with unexplained shortness of breath and pulmonary interstitial infiltrations.