Related Experiment Videos
[Treatment with intermittent high dosage corticotherapy in chronic interstitial pneumonia in an infant. A case
A Deschildre1, F Leclerc, V Hue
1Service de Réanimation Infantile, Hôpital Calmette, CHRU de Lille.
Insights
This case study highlights a rare infant chronic interstitial pneumonia following RSV infection. High-dose pulsed methylprednisolone therapy showed significant improvement, suggesting a potential treatment for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Chronic interstitial pneumonia (PIC) is uncommon in infants.
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections can precede lung pathology.
- Accurate diagnosis often requires invasive procedures like open lung biopsy.
Observation:
- An infant presented with chronic interstitial pneumonia after an RSV infection.
- Initial oral steroid therapy (Prednisolone) was ineffective.
- High-dose pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone was administered in three series.
Findings:
- Pulsed methylprednisolone therapy resulted in progressive clinical and radiological improvement.
- Respiratory function and imaging normalized thirty months post-treatment.
- Histological confirmation via open lung biopsy was crucial for diagnosis.
Implications:
- Pulsed steroid therapy may be an effective treatment for infant chronic interstitial pneumonia.
- Further multicenter trials with histological confirmation are needed to validate these findings.
- Understanding the link between RSV and subsequent interstitial lung disease is important for pediatric respiratory care.
Abstract:
Chronic interstitial pneumonia (PIC) are rare in infants. We report a case of an infant who presented with a chronic interstitial pneumonia following an infection with a respiratory syncytial virus. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically (open lung biopsy). The failure of oral steroid therapy (Prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day) led to the use of boluses of methylprednisone (30 mg/kg/day, daily for three days in three series one month apart). The treatment led to a progressive improvement and thirty months after the last bolus the respiratory examination was normal as was the radiology. The efficacy of bolus steroid therapy observed by other authors should be confirmed in multicentre trials using surgical biopsy to precise the pulmonary lesions.