Goodpasture's syndrome: case report of a survivor

A patient with Goodpasture's syndrome who presented with severe pulmonary haemorrhage and minimal renal involvement is described. The diagnosis was substantiated by immunofluorescence studies on a renal biopsy specimen and by the detection of circulating antiglomerular basement membrane antibody. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide. He remains in good health 20 months after diagnosis, although there is a persisting abnormality in single-breath gas transfer for carbon monoxide. Recovery from Goodpasture's syndrome is reviewed in the light of recent advances.