Mesalazine-induced eosinophilic pneumonia

Abstract

A 35-year-old woman with a 6-month history of ulcerative colitis and treatment with oral mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid) developed dry cough, low-grade fever and bilaterally wandering pulmonary infiltrates. Improvement in clinical symptoms and radiological abnormalities occurred spontaneously after discontinuation of mesalazine. The transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated the organizing stage of eosinophilic pneumonia. Drug lymphocyte stimulation test was positive for mesalazine and negative for sulfasalazine and sulfapyridine. The present case indicates that although mesalazine-induced eosinophilic pneumonia is an extremely rare entity, its possibility should be fully considered in patients developing unexplained respiratory symptoms while on mesalazine therapy.