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Adult-onset Still's disease misdiagnosed as pneumonia: two case reports

Han-xiang Nie1, Xu-hong Ding, Yi Huang

  • 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China. nhxbj@sohu.com

Acta Reumatologica Portuguesa
|April 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) can rarely affect the lungs, often mimicking pneumonia. Early diagnosis is challenging due to atypical pulmonary presentations in this rare inflammatory condition.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Pulmonology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology.
  • Pulmonary manifestations in AOSD are uncommon, typically presenting as pleuritis or transient infiltrates.

Observation:

  • This report details two cases of AOSD where significant lung involvement was the primary presenting feature.
  • Both patients were initially misdiagnosed with pneumonia complicated by parapneumonic effusion.

Findings:

  • AOSD can present with pulmonary infiltrates that are easily mistaken for infectious pneumonia.
  • The diagnostic challenge lies in differentiating AOSD-related lung disease from more common respiratory infections.

Implications:

  • Recognizing pulmonary involvement in AOSD is crucial for accurate diagnosis and timely treatment.
  • This case series highlights the importance of considering AOSD in patients with unexplained pulmonary infiltrates and inflammatory markers.

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