Presentation
Cough and dyspnea.
Patient Data
Bilateral ground-glass opacities, consolidation of right lower lobe and right pleural effusion.
Case Discussion
Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is a condition caused by the inhalation of fat-like material of animal, vegetable or mineral origin.
There are cases described in the literature related to the administration of liquid paraffin for the treatment of chronic constipation. Liquid paraffin could be aspirated either spontaneously, or aspiration could be facilitated by the presence of gastroesophageal reflux or psychiatric illness.
The patient in our case had a mild intellectual disability, disorders of swallowing and her relatives reported that she had taken unspecified drops containing paraffin.
Acute exogenous lipoid pneumonia typically manifests as cough, dyspnea, and low-grade fever.
Generally, supportive therapy allows the resolution of symptoms.
The opacities, ground glass and consolidative, are bilateral and predominantly involve the middle and lower lobes.
Exogenous lipoid pneumonia can also manifest as geographic ground-glass attenuation associated with interlobular septal thickening within areas of ground-glass attenuation: "crazy paving" pattern.
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