[Bronchopulmonary infiltrates in chronic inflammatory bowel disease]

High temperatures, night sweat, chest pain, cough and dyspnoea suddenly occurred in a 54-year-old patient. The serious disease was accompanied by variable pulmonary infiltrations. Chemical pathology showed maximally increased sedimentation rates, slight leucocytosis and anaemia. Complete serology was negative. The occurrence of large intestinal ileus required laparatomy and after commencement of treatment with steroids the overall state improved, pulmonary symptoms disappeared, and radiographically demonstrable infiltration were clearly regressing. Histology revealed presence of acute ulcerative colitis. Lung infiltrates probably represented extraintestinal manifestation of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In contrast to experience from the literature lung infiltrations in this case preceded clinical manifestations of the underlying disease.