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Acute eosinophilic pneumonia caused by composter vapor inhalation: A case report
Takatoshi Suzuki1, Katsura Nagai1, Nobuyasu Wakazono1
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Center for Respiratory Diseases, Japan Community Healthcare Organization (JCHO) Hokkaido Hospital, Japan.
Abstract:
A 65-year-old woman presented to a local hospital with a 4-day history of cough, fever, and dyspnea. She had started using a composter and had been exposed to the vapor for 18 days before her first visit. She was diagnosed with acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) based on her symptoms, the presence of bilateral pulmonary opacities on computed tomography, and alveolar eosinophilia confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage. Inhalation of the composter vapor was thought to be the cause of AEP. Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from the composter soil and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. She fully recovered without systemic corticosteroid administration by avoiding the composter.
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