Abstract
We reported a case of pneumonitis induced by Naproxen. A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of skin eruptions, dyspnea on exertion, and epigastralgia. He had been treated with Naproxen and Sulindac five weeks prior to the onset of these complaints because of shoulder pain. A chest X-ray on admission revealed bilateral diffuse reticulolinear shadows. On hospitalization, Naproxen and Sulindac treatment was discontinued and the patient showed a resolution of symptoms 20 days after admission. He began to receive prednisolone therapy, 30mg/day 43 days after admission. Fourteen days later he showed a marked improvement in the pulmonary infiltrative shadows on his chest X-ray. The result of a lymphocyte stimulation test of Naproxen was guardedly-positive, with a stimulation index of 188%. We carried out this lymphocyte stimulation test because of a clinical diagnosis of drug allergy. The result of this test supported the clinical diagnosis.
To our knowledge, there has been no previous case of pulmonary hypersensitivity to Naproxen reported in Japan. Clinicians should be alerted to the possibility of the occurrence of such a complication in patients being treated with Naproxen.
