Cocaine-induced pulmonary complications: A diagnosis of waiting and watching

Pulmonary complications of cocaine among users are common. Manifestations include lung congestion, intra-alveolar edema, and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). Direct cellular toxicity, eosinophilia, barotrauma, and vasoactive effects of cocaine are believed to induce DAH. We present a rare case of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lung India 2021-07, Vol.38 (4), p.362-364
Main Authors: Munagala, Rohit, Chiruvella, Varsha, Pucar, Darko, Keshavamurthy, Jayanth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Report
Cocaine
Complications and side effects
Drug use
Edema
fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography
focal alveolar hemorrhage
Hemorrhage
Lung diseases
lung injury
Lungs
unnecessary biopsy
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Summary:Pulmonary complications of cocaine among users are common. Manifestations include lung congestion, intra-alveolar edema, and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). Direct cellular toxicity, eosinophilia, barotrauma, and vasoactive effects of cocaine are believed to induce DAH. We present a rare case of cocaine-associated focal alveolar hemorrhage mimicking malignancy on imaging. Initially contemplated biopsy was avoided based on rapid growth of concerning lung lesion, with subsequent near resolution on follow-up. This case illustrates the importance of epidemiologic and temporal multimodality correlation when evaluating indeterminate lung lesions.
ISSN:0970-2113
0974-598X
DOI:10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_164_21