Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia in a 28-Year-Old Nigerian Female: Challenges in Diagnosis and Management in Resource-Constrained Setting.

BACKGROUND

Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia is a rare clinical condition and usually precedes the full manifestation of connective tissue disorders, drug-induced interstitial lung disease or chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

OBJECTIVE

This article reports a twenty-eight (28)-year-old Nigerian female with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) complicated by Cor pulmonale. The unusual characteristics of our index case favors NSIP rather than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (age of 28 years, female, chest high-resolution computerized tomographic features and response to glucocorticoids).

RESULTS

High-resolution computerized tomography scan of the chest showed honeycombing in the apical lobes and a mixture of reticular changes, ground-glass appearance and fibrotic changes in basal lobes. Echocardiography revealed features of right chamber enlargement with pulmonary hypertension. Due to financial constraint, serological tests for CTDs and lung biopsy could not be done.

CONCLUSION

Being a rare condition, a high index of suspicion with full investigative workup to make early diagnosis and effect prompt treatment is important.