Abstract
A 46-year-old female visited to our hospital with severe dry cough. Her chest rogntgenogram showed bilateral basal interstitial shadows. Though her chest X-ray film showed no exacerbation, her severe cough progressively worsened. The pulmonary function test was normal and bronchodilator treatment did not significantly improve either FEV_<1.0> or FVC. Therefore, this case was considered to have chronic interstitial pneumonia complicated with atopic cough (eosinophilic bronchitis without asthma). Severe cough was not relieved with an H_1-blocker (azelastin). So she was treated with prednisolone (20mg/day). Although her chest X-ray film did not improve, the severe cough resolved rapidly. She developed muscle weakness in her legs and a high CK value during course of tapering of the steroid dose. The findings of biopsy specimens obtained from the left vastus lateralis were compatible with dermatomiositis. We concluded that to evaluate bronchial lesions is useful for the successful treatment of severe dry cough associated with collagen vascular desease such as dermatomiositis.
