Mesalazine-induced lung injury with severe respiratory failure successfully treated with steroids and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation

• Main Authors: Hajime Oi, Atsushi Suzuki, Yasuhiko Yamano, Toshiki Yokoyama, Toshiaki Matsuda, Kensuke Kataoka, Yasuhiko Suzuki, Tomoki Kimura, Yasuhiro Kondoh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
• Series: Respiratory Medicine Case Reports
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213007120303701

Drug-induced lung injury (DLI) has become more common because of the increasing number of therapeutic agents in use. Mesalazine, also known as 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), is one of the key drugs for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Although mesalazine-induced lung injury has been previously reported, few cases have included severe respiratory failure. In this report, we present a case of mesalazine-induced lung injury with severe respiratory failure, which was improved by discontinuation of mesalazine and introduction of corticosteroid therapy and ventilation support with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV). We also review the previous literature on mesalazine-induced lung injury.