[Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in budgerigar fanciers. A seldom recognised disease?]

A hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) can be easily recognized either in acute manifestations, as in farmer lung syndrome, and in subacute, as bird fancier's lung; the following case shows an insidious HP occurred to a 44 year old, non smoker woman, fancier--during the winter--of 8 budgerigars kept in the kitchen. The authors suppose HP is underestimated, considering Italy's likely high number of bird fanciers, versus only 260 general cases of HP that have been reported every year in Italy (1999-2002).