CD8+ lymphocytic pneumonitis in a patient receiving cyproterone acetate.

A large number of drugs can induce pulmonary disease. We report the case of a female patient who was receiving cyproterone acetate for severe hirsutism. After 4 months of cyproterone therapy, she had dyspnea, pulmonary infiltrates, and a restrictive ventilatory defect. Bronchoalveolar lavage showed CD8+ lymphocytosis as well as increased neutrophils and eosinophils, a profile highly suggestive of an iatrogenic process. The patient showed no other significant clinical or biologic abnormality. Symptoms and functional abnormalities disappeared after withdrawal of cyproterone and reappeared after its reintroduction. This suggests that cyproterone acetate, a substance used to treat hirsutism and prostate cancer and in the composition of certain oral contraceptives, can be added to the list of drugs that may cause lymphocytic pneumonitis.