A case of lipoid pneumonia caused by inhalation of vaporized paraffin from burning candles

A 66-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for investigation of interstitial lung disease. She had spent most of her time in a shrine, and had always been exposed to vaporized paraffin from burning candles. Chest High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)showed ground-glass attenuation with thickening of septal lines, wh create the so-called “crazy-paving appearance”. Although bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) and transbronchial biopsy were performed to aid in diagnosis, the findings did not reveal any conclusive information. Improvements on chest radiographs and in the patient's symptoms were observed without any therapeutic intervention; however, one year later, her chest X-ray showed deteriorative changes. Surgical lung biopsy was performed, and the pathological findings were consistent with those of lipoid pneumonia. The patient showed spontaneous remission of the disease. The cause of exogenous lipoid pneumonia was attributed to inhalation of vaporized paraffin from burning candles in the shrine. This is the first case of lipoid pneumonia that was found to develop from exposure to vaporized paraffin.