End-stage lung and ultimately fatal disease in a bird fancier

A clinical study of hypersensitivity pneumonitis presumably caused by feather duvets

BACKGROUND

Bird fancier's lung (BFL) is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by the inhalation of bird-related antigens. The BFL induced by feathers is difficult to diagnose because feathers are generally unrecognized as a causative antigen.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinical features of BFL presumably induced by feather duvets (feather duvet lung) to provide clues for diagnosis.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of patients with feather duvet lung evaluated between April 1, 2000, and June 30, 2003, at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital in Japan.

RESULTS

Seven patients with feather duvet lung were included in this study; 4 patients had acute disease and 3 had chronic BFL. Duration of contact with feather duvets was 1 month to 10 years. Serum KL-6 and surfactant protein D levels were elevated in all the patients. Specific antibodies against avian antigens were positive in acute BFL but negative in chronic BFL. Antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation in peripheral blood or bronchoalveolar lavage cells was positive in all the patients. The diagnosis was confirmed by an environmental or inhalation provocation test.

CONCLUSIONS

Feather duvets can induce acute and chronic BFL. Physicians should be aware of feather duvets as a cause of BFL because feather duvets are becoming more prevalent.

Fatal hypersensitivity pneumonitis

BACKGROUND

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an uncommon, non-IgE-mediated interstitial lung disease caused by the inhalation of a variety of organic dusts, most commonly from exposure at work or in the pursuit of hobbies. Typically, after the disease is recognized, the causative allergen or environment is identified and treatment initiated through avoidance measures and corticosteroids. Progression of the disease is then usually halted and even reversed. Fatal cases of HP are unusual.

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of progressive and deadly HP in a 40-year-old printer who developed subacute bird fancier's disease with its clinical characteristics and positive precipitins to pigeon proteins.

METHODS

Chest x-ray examinations and tests of lung function were performed in the patient. Two months after initial consultation, when the diagnosis was still elusive, an open lung biopsy was performed and the patient was treated with prednisone for 3 months. A subsequent chest x-ray examination was performed 4 months after the biopsy.

RESULTS

With avoidance of birds and treatment with corticosteroids, the patient's symptoms resolved and lung function normalized. He was subsequently diagnosed as having asthma followed by bronchitis and 2 episodes of pneumonia. He did not fully recover from these but developed progressive dyspnea. After linking his symptoms to work by history, he underwent lung biopsy with findings consistent with chronic HP. Serum antibody titers were positive for Aspergillus but not pigeon proteins. Based on exposure to water-based coolants, he was suspected of having chronic occupational HP, although this could not be confirmed. Despite aggressive treatment, he developed a progressive course that was ultimately fatal.

CONCLUSIONS

This report details the progressive disease course in an individual who presented initially with subacute HP. Unfortunately, even after appropriate diagnosis and management, the course of the disease can be fatal.

Chronic bird fancier's lung: histopathological and clinical correlation. An application of the 2002 ATS/ERS consensus classification of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias

BACKGROUND

Chronic bird fancier's lung (BFL) has often been misdiagnosed as one of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs).

METHODS

To define the clinical and pathological characteristics of chronic BFL, 26 patients with chronic BFL from whom a surgical lung biopsy specimen was taken between October 1992 and June 2001 were evaluated. The histopathological characteristics of the surgical lung biopsy specimens were examined and correlations between the histopathology and clinical characteristics were analysed. The quality of chronic inflammatory and fibrotic changes was expressed according to the 2002 ATS/ERS consensus classification of IIPs.

RESULTS

Two patients were diagnosed as having bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia (BOOP)-like lesions, five as having cellular non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)-like lesions, and eight as having fibrotic NSIP-like lesions. The other 11 patients were considered to have usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like lesions because of the temporal heterogeneous appearances of the fibrotic changes. However, fibrosis in these patients had developed in centrilobular as well as perilobular areas, suggestive of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Nineteen patients (73.1%) had multinucleated giant cells, often with cholesterol clefts, while only five patients (19.2%) had granulomas. Patients with BOOP-like or cellular NSIP-like lesions tended to have recurrent acute episodes, whereas patients with UIP-like lesions had an insidious onset. Patients with BOOP-like or cellular NSIP-like lesions had a more favourable outcome than those with fibrotic NSIP-like and UIP-like lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

The qualities of chronic inflammatory and fibrotic lesions vary significantly among patients with chronic BFL but correlate with clinical features and prognosis.

Clinical features of recurrent and insidious chronic bird fancier's lung

BACKGROUND

Chronic bird fancier's lung (BFL) can be subgrouped into two types. One subgroup of patients develops interstitial pulmonary fibrosis after recurrent acute episodes (recurrent BFL), and the other subgroup of patients has no history of acute episodes but has slowly progressive chronic respiratory disease (insidious BFL).

OBJECTIVE

To define the clinical characteristics of both types of BFL and to provide clues for diagnosis.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of patients with chronic BFL who were evaluated between October 1992 and March 2001 at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital in Japan. Patients were evaluated for their clinical characteristics, including history, laboratory, and immunologic findings; imaging; bronchoalveolar lavage; and histologic findings.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients with chronic BFL were included in this study; 15 patients had recurrent BFL and 17 had insidious BFL. The patients with recurrent BFL tended to breed dozens of pigeons in a loft, whereas the patients with insidious BFL were likely to be exposed to smaller birds kept indoors. Specific antibodies against pigeon dropping extracts or budgerigar dropping extracts were positive in 87% of the recurrent BFL cases and 35% of the insidious BFL cases. Antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was positive in more than 90% of both groups. The upper lung field was frequently involved in both groups as demonstrated by chest radiographic findings. In all of the patients with insidious BFL, the diagnosis was confirmed by positive laboratory-controlled inhalation test results.

CONCLUSIONS

Insidious BFL may be misdiagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis if a careful history is not taken and antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation, careful imaging evaluation, and laboratory-controlled inhalation challenge testing are not conducted. In contrast, the clinical findings of recurrent BFL are consistent with hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by other antigens.

Clinicopathological features of chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis

OBJECTIVE

Only limited information exists concerning the clinical and pathological features of chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in Japan and elsewhere. We present data on clinicopathological features of chronic HP obtained through a Japanese nationwide survey.

METHODOLOGY

We studied the clinical and pathological findings in 10 patients with chronic HP who underwent surgical lung biopsy or postmortem examination.

RESULTS

There were three types of clinical course: six of the 10 patients had persistent symptoms followed by repeated acute episodes; two showed a subacute onset with persistent symptoms; and two exhibited an insidious onset. Five patients made no attempt to avoid antigen exposure and they all had progressive disease. Pathological findings indicated that lesions were mainly centrilobular with or without epithelioid cell granulomas in specimens obtained during the acute or subacute stage. In contrast, most patients in the chronic stage predominantly showed interstitial fibrosis with a usual interstitial pneumonia pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

The pathological findings of chronic HP depend on the stage of the disease at tissue sampling.

The long-term outcome in acute, subacute, and chronic forms of pigeon breeder's disease hypersensitivity pneumonitis

BACKGROUND

Pigeon breeder's disease (PBD) is an avian-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The limited data that exist on the long-term outcome for the disease are conflicting.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the long-term outcome of patients with PBD to evaluate the course of the disease.

METHODS

Review a case series of 18 pigeon breeders that were followed from 4 to 26 years after initial diagnosis.

RESULTS

Fourteen breeders reduced their bird contact significantly; four kept their birds. In eight patients with the acute form of the disease, pulmonary function either did not change from normal or improved to normal. Of five patients with subacute disease, four had persistent symptoms. All had mildly abnormal spirometry with either restrictive or obstructive changes which persisted. Five patients with chronic disease exhibited daily dyspnea. They had severe abnormalities of lung function at diagnosis. Of these patients, three improved and two deteriorated. Chest radiographs were of little value in predicting outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with the acute form of PBD have the best prognosis, compared with those with subacute and chronic forms. Although some improvement could be seen in most individuals, recovery may still not be complete. Those with the chronic form are at particular risk for morbidity.

Shortness of breath secondary to a pet cockatiel

A case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a 40-year-old patient secondary to a pet bird is presented. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of hypersensitivity pneumonitis are reviewed.

Lung fibrosis in hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Association with CD4+ but not CD8+ cell dominant alveolitis and insidious onset

Seventeen cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) at a symptomatic phase were categorized into two groups based on computed tomographic (CT) findings and histologic features of transbronchial lung biopsy specimens, HP accompanied by lung fibrosis (fibrosis group), and HP unaccompanied by lung fibrosis (nonfibrosis group). The fibrosis group comprised bird fancier's lung and HP of unknown etiology, whereas the nonfibrosis group mainly comprised summer-type HP. Comparison of results of pulmonary function tests between these two groups confirmed a restrictive impairment in the fibrosis group. Analyses of cellular components of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids revealed lymphocytes, especially CD8+ T lymphocytes, were significantly increased in the nonfibrosis group in comparison with the fibrosis group, whereas CD4+ T cells were increased to the same level in the both groups. Analyses of the onset of disease showed that acute onset was observed mainly in nonfibrosis group and strongly correlated with increased CD8+ T lymphocytes in BAL fluids, while insidious onset was related to lung fibrosis and relatively increased CD4+ T lymphocytes in BAL fluids. These findings raise the possibility that highly elevated CD8+ T cells might have a protective effect on pulmonary fibrosis or that relatively increased CD4+ T cells might play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis of HP at the chronic phase.

Pigeon-breeder's lung. Extensive workup clarifies the clinical picture

Pigeon-breeder's lung should be included in the differential diagnosis when patients present with interstitial lung disease or intermittent cough and dyspnea. No single test confirms the diagnosis. Rather, careful attention must be given to results of history taking, physical examination, pulmonary function and precipitin testing, chest radiography, and, if indicated, lung biopsy. Symptoms usually resolve when exposure to suspected antigens is avoided.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis

The lung is constantly exposed to a wide variety of environmental insults. In its defense against these environmental challenges, however, the lung responds through a limited number of pathophysiologic mechanisms. This is well illustrated by a group of diseases which are collectively referred to as hypersensitivity pneumonitis. This syndrome includes a very large number of different diseases. However, in the United States, only farmer's lung, bird-breeder's lung, and ventilation hypersensitivity pneumonitis occur with any significant frequency. Each of these is characterized by flu-like symptoms, in conjunction with a pneumonitis consisting of lymphocytic granulomatous infiltration of the alveoli and terminal bronchioles. This disease is caused by the inhalation of antigenic material which usually originates from the dusts of organic material. A host of different dusts and antigens have been described in conjunction with hypersensitivity pneumonitis but each leads to the same characteristic clinical syndrome. Thus, each of the diseases shares similar clinical features but differs primarily with respect to the nature of the exposure and causative antigens. The clinical features, pathogenesis, course, prognosis, and treatment of these related diseases are reviewed.