Highlights
- •We report three cases of severe lung injury in MS patients treated with alemtuzumab.
- •Lung injury was heterogeneous in terms of clinic characteristics, HRCT pattern and onset timing.
- •All cases were reversible after steroid therapy, but re-treatment is challenging.
Abstract
Background
Respiratory alemtuzumab-related adverse events are clinically heterogeneous and include
respiratory infections, infusion-related dyspnea, hypoxia and secondary autoimmune
disorders.
Case report
Here we report three cases of drug-induced lung disease following treatment with alemtuzumab
in multiple sclerosis patients. First case was diagnosed as a non-specified intestitial
pneumonitis associated with organizing pneumonia with subacute onset, second case
was an acute respiratory distress syndrome with onset during second cycle, third case
was a diffuse acute alveolar hemorrhage during first cycle infusion. All patients
developed acute respiratory failure, reversible after steroid therapy.
Conclusions
Clinicians should be aware to early recognize acute and subacute respiratory adverse
events for a promptly management. In these patients re-treatment is challenging.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 15, 2019
Accepted:
October 14,
2019
Received in revised form:
October 6,
2019
Received:
June 23,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
