Drug-induced pneumonitis is a type of interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by certain medications you might be taking.
Pneumonitis is a general term used by health professionals to refer to infectious or noninfectious reasons for lung inflammation. Since this inflammation can lead to difficulty breathing, it’s important to identify the cause and find alternatives to the drugs or medical treatments responsible for it.
Although drug-induced pneumonitis is treatable, it can leave permanent damage and scarring in the lungs if not caught early. That’s why it’s important to work with a team of interstitial lung disease specialists, like the ones at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, to diagnose and treat your drug-induced pneumonitis.
Our pulmonary experts have years of experience helping people with these lung conditions. We’ll provide you with comprehensive and personalized care.
What is pneumonitis vs. pneumonia?
Pneumonitis is a general term for inflammation of the lungs. Technically, pneumonia is a type of pneumonitis, but inflammation in pneumonia is caused by an infection by bacteria, virus, or other germs.
Pneumonitis is caused by a reaction to some type of irritant, whether airborne (hypersensitivity pneumonitis) or a medication (drug-induced pneumonitis).
Also, pneumonia only affects a small portion of the lungs, whereas noninfectious pneumonitis is usually spread throughout the lungs. This can be an important distinction when trying to differentiate between these conditions.
Causes of drug-induced pneumonitis
Dozens of different medications can be responsible for the inflammation seen in the lungs of patients with pneumonitis. They range from cancer treatments to over-the-counter medications.
Drugs known to cause pneumonitis include:
- Several types of chemotherapy
- Medications for irregular heart rhythms
- Some antibiotics
- Radiation treatments to the chest can also cause pneumonitis.
Drug-induced pneumonitis symptoms
Symptoms of this condition can resemble those of other respiratory illnesses so it’s important to see your doctor to help you determine the causes of the symptoms.
Signs of drug-induced pneumonitis can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) depending on how long you’re exposed to the medication or irritant causing your symptoms.
Acute symptoms include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Achiness
- Headache
If pneumonitis goes undetected or untreated, you might experience scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs and develop chronic pneumonitis.
Chronic symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Dry cough
- Exhaustion
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
Diagnosing pneumonitis
Your physician will use various methods to determine if the cause of your respiratory symptoms is drug-induced pneumonitis.
Detailing your medical history is important, as your provider will need to know what medications you’re taking.
We’ll look at whether there’s a relationship between the onset of your symptoms and exposure to a certain drug while also seeing if there’s improvement when we stop the suspected medication.
Other tests that will help us in a diagnosis include:
- Blood tests
- Bronchoscopy
- Lung function tests, like spirometry and oximetry
- Chest X-rays and CT scans
- Lung biopsy
Imaging tests (X-rays and CT scans) are especially important when diagnosing pneumonitis because it appears in the lungs differently than pneumonia. Noninfectious pneumonitis spreads throughout the lungs and pneumonia typically affects only a small portion.
Treatment of drug-induced pneumonitis
If it’s determined you have chemical pneumonitis, we’ll recommend you stop taking the medication that’s irritating your lungs and work to find alternatives to it. Eliminating exposure to the drug should ease symptoms.
For severe cases of pneumonitis, your doctor might treat you with corticosteroids (such as prednisone) to reduce the inflammation in your lungs. Oxygen therapy can also help with symptoms and make breathing easier.
Here at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, we have an interstitial lung disease program with staff dedicated to caring for and treating people with these types of pulmonary conditions. Our collaborative approach and expertise will get you back on your feet enjoying life.