Chest
Volume 68, Issue 4, October 1975, Pages 580-581
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Selected Reports
Acute Pulmonary Hypersensitivity to Carbamazepine

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Acute pulmonary hypersensitivity to carbamazepine (Tegretol) is reported, manifested by diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, skin rash, and eosinophilia. The reaction cleared on cessation of the drug. A lymphocyte transformation test was reactive to carbamazepine.

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CASE REPORT

A 55-year-old black woman was referred on October 19, 1973, for evaluation and treatment of right-sided trigeminal neuralgia. Treatment was begun with carbamazepine, 100 mg twice daily, after hepatic and hematologic profiles were reported as normal. The patient improved symptomatically; three weeks later the dosage was raised to 200 mg twice daily. Hepatic and hematologic studies were again normal.

Two weeks after this, she came to the emergency room with a three-day history of cough, shortness

DISCUSSION

We believe that the case described represents pulmonary hypersensitivity to carbamazepine that manifested itself as an acute, moderately debilitating systemic illness with prominent pulmonary alterations, skin rash, and eosinophilia. To our knowledge, there has been no previous case report of pulmonary hypersensitivity to carbamazepine. After the cessation of carbamazepine therapy, the patient improved markedly within three days, but the pulmonary radiographic findings showed delayed

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Dr. Sam Yanari performed the lymphocyte transformation tests.

References (7)

  • JJ Cereghino et al.

    Carbamazepine for epilepsy: A controlled evaluation

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  • W Crill

    Carbamazepine

    Ann Intern Med

    (1973)
  • Drug-induced lung disease: The price of progress: Medical staff conference, University of California, San Francisco

    Calif Med

    (1973)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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