Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis presenting in an adult: A case report and review of the literature

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is characterized by the presence of hemoptysis, anemia, and the presence of diffuse parenchymal infiltrates on imaging studies. Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is an uncommon cause of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) and is classically known to present in childhood. Adult-onset IPH is extremely rare. We report the case of a 48-year-old female patient who presented with hemoptysis and acute hypoxic respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Imaging studies showed diffuse bilateral patchy infiltrates. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) confirmed the diagnosis of DAH. Extensive workup including video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical lung biopsy (VATS) failed to reveal any vasculitis, infectious, immunological or connective tissue disorder, as the underlying cause for DAH. The patient was successfully treated with high-dose steroid therapy.