Monitoring intrapulmonary hemorrhage in Goodpasture's syndrome

Diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (Dco) was measured frequently in a patient with recurrent intrapulmonary hemorrhage secondary to Goodpasture's syndrome. This simple test was found to be a sensitive and useful indicator of the presence or absence of recurrent intrapulmonary hemorrhage. As this is now the major cause of mortality in this disease, we recommended that frequent measurements of the Dco be an important part of its management.