A Sensitive Approach to Managing Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), also known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis, is an immunologically mediated disorder that typically presents as a case of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in response to any identified or unidentified antigen. We present a case of a 46-year-old female with HP, who presented with fever and shortness of breath. Although negative by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), her condition was initially diagnosed as COVID-19 clinically as a result of anchoring bias due to similar symptoms and radiologic features presenting in the pandemic. A detailed further probing into history revealed the diagnosis of HP due to cat hair, and hence, was managed accordingly.