Case Report of Idiopathic Pulmonary Haemosiderosis in a Child with recurrent chest infections

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare condition that usually presents as a triad of haemoptysis, iron deficiency anaemia and pulmonary infiltrates.  We report a case of IPH diagnosed in a 7 year old boy who had recurrent hospital admissions with severe chest infections and haemoptysis from his first few months of life.  He was found to have microcytic hypochromic anaemia, diffuse infiltrate shadowing on his chest X-ray (CXR) and ground-glass opacification on his computed tomogram (CT).  Perl's Prussian blue staining of his bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed haemosiderin-laden macrophage infiltration.  After exclusion of infective, cardiac, immunological and glomerular causes, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis.  He has since been treated intermittently with steroids, which have failed to control his symptoms fully.