Pulmonary toxicity may occur in association with amiodarone hydrochloride therapy. The clinical features of the pulmonary involvement are mild dyspnea, leukocytosis, hypoxemia, elevation in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and restrictive changes on pulmonary function testing. Diffuse interstitial and patchy peripheral alveolar infiltrates, which may frequently involve the upper lobes, characterize the radiologic findings. Accumulation of foamy macrophages in alveolar spaces, hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes, and widening of alveolar septae are noted histologically. Ultrastructural examination shows granular and lamellar membranous structures within distended lysosomes. With cessation of amiodarone therapy and treatment with corticosteroids, clinical symptoms and radiographic abnormalities resolve. The time interval for resolution of radiographic changes appears to be greater than 2 months. The precise role of corticosteroid therapy remains unknown in light of pathologic findings suggesting a metabolic rather than immunologic basis for the toxicity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.