Methylphenidate causes chronic eosinophilic pneumonia

A man who is 38 years old and diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was prescribed methylphenidate. Three weeks later, he began experiencing progressive shortness of breath and coughing. Imaging of his chest showed patchy bilateral ground-glass opacities, and bronchoscopy revealed...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dhafer Alghamdi, Hamdan Jahdali, Abdullah Alharbi, Ahmad Alshehri, Bandar Alfirm, Hanaa Bamefleh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-01-01
Series:Annals of Thoracic Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thoracicmedicine.org/article.asp?issn=1817-1737;year=2024;volume=19;issue=1;spage=112;epage=115;aulast=Alghamdi
Description
Summary:A man who is 38 years old and diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was prescribed methylphenidate. Three weeks later, he began experiencing progressive shortness of breath and coughing. Imaging of his chest showed patchy bilateral ground-glass opacities, and bronchoscopy revealed a 15% eosinophil count in his bronchoalveolar lavage. A transbronchial biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of eosinophilic pneumonia. The patient's condition improved when he was given steroids and stopped taking methylphenidate. However, he developed the same symptoms again a few days after restarting the medication, along with a skin rash. This strongly suggests that methylphenidate was the cause of his eosinophilic pneumonia.
ISSN:1817-1737
1998-3557