[Alveolitis and lung fibroses caused by drugs]

The causes for alveolitis and lung fibroses are very multifarious. In the scale of the contaminant factors the medicaments occupy only a small sector. Nevertheless, the knowledge of such a side effect is significant on account of the often unfavourable prognosis of the alveolitis. When medicaments with wellknown ability of impairment are administered (e.g. cytostatic drugs, antiarrhythmic drugs etc.) a narrow-meshed observation with suitable control parameters is to be demanded. Only the timely recognition of a side effect of a medicament in the lung structure can prevent the fatal change into a pulmonary fibrosis. In 801 alveolitis and lung fibrosis diagnosed in our clinic 10 times a medicament was established as cause.