Acute interstitial pneumonitis
Acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP), also known as Hamman-Rich syndrome, is a rapidly progressive non-infectious interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. It is considered the only acute process among the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.
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Terminology
AIP has a similar clinical presentation and histological features of those seen in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), showing extensive diffuse alveolar damage (DAD). Both conditions likely represent the same pathology, with AIP probably accounting for some of the idiopathic cases of ARDS.
Epidemiology
Truly idiopathic AIP tends to occur in those without pre-existing lung disease and typically affects middle-aged adults (mean ~ 50 years 5). However, in certain conditions such as leflunomide-induced acute interstitial pneumonia, patients have pre-existing lung disease.
Clinical presentation
Clinical features are varied. Patients often have a history of an antecedent illness such as a viral upper respiratory infection. Common initial symptoms include myalgia, arthralgia, pyrexia, chills, and malaise. Severe exertional dyspnea develops over a matter of days to weeks 13.
Pathology
AIP is characterized histologically by diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) 2 and is indistinguishable from adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The alveolar damage comprises three phases:
- an acute exudative phase
- a subsequent organizing phase
- a final fibrotic phase
Radiographic features
The clinical context is vital for correct image interpretation.
Plain radiograph
Nonspecific and often shows bilateral patchy airspace opacification.
CT
During the initial stages, AIP can have features similar to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which include:
- areas with ground-glass attenuation: generally tend to be bilateral and symmetrical 10
- traction bronchiectasis: can be seen in ~80% of cases during the course of the disease 4 and correlates with disease duration 2
- parenchymal architectural distortion of the lung
- air space consolidation: may have a slight predilection towards the dependent portions 5
Treatment and prognosis
The condition usually progresses to respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation and corticosteroid therapy. Even despite mechanical ventilation, it often carries a grave prognosis with > 70% mortality at ~ 3 months 1.
History and etymology
- clinical features first described by L Hamman and A Rich in 1935 8
- pathological processes first described by A L Katzenstein et al. in 1986 3
Differential diagnosis
Considerations in early stages include:
- adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): can involve other organs 9
- infectious multifocal pneumonia
Other considerations include:
- an acute interstitial pneumonitis process triggered by certain medications, e.g. leflunomide-induced acute interstitial pneumonia
For a more general differential, consider:
Related Radiopaedia articles
Chest
- imaging techniques
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chest x-ray
-
approach
- adult
- pediatric
- neonatal
-
airspace opacification
- differential diagnoses of airspace opacification
- lobar consolidation
-
atelectasis
- mechanism-based
- morphology-based
- lobar lung collapse
- chest x-ray in the exam setting
- cardiomediastinal contour
- chest radiograph zones
- tracheal air column
- fissures
- normal chest x-ray appearance of the diaphragm
- nipple shadow
-
lines and stripes
- anterior junction line
- posterior junction line
- right paratracheal stripe
- left paratracheal stripe
- posterior tracheal stripe/tracheo-esophageal stripe
- posterior wall of bronchus intermedius
- right paraspinal line
- left paraspinal line
- aortic-pulmonary stripe
- aortopulmonary window
- azygo-esophageal recess
- spaces
- signs
- air bronchogram
- big rib sign
- Chang sign
- Chen sign
- coin lesion
- continuous diaphragm sign
- dense hilum sign
- double contour sign
- egg-on-a-string sign
- extrapleural sign
- finger in glove sign
- flat waist sign
- Fleischner sign
- ginkgo leaf sign
- Golden S sign
- Hampton hump
- haystack sign
- hilum convergence sign
- hilum overlay sign
- Hoffman-Rigler sign
- holly leaf sign
- incomplete border sign
- juxtaphrenic peak sign
- Kirklin sign
- medial stripe sign
- melting ice cube sign
- more black sign
- Naclerio V sign
- Palla sign
- pericardial fat tag sign
- Shmoo sign
- silhouette sign
- snowman sign
- spinnaker sign
- steeple sign
- straight left heart border sign
- third mogul sign
- tram-track sign
- walking man sign
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- wave sign
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approach
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chest x-ray
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bronchiectasis
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tracheal stenosis
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bronchial stenosis
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tracheal stenosis
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interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- drug-induced interstitial lung disease
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hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- subacute hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- etiology
- bird fancier's lung: pigeon fancier's lung
- farmer's lung
- cheese workers' lung
- bagassosis
- mushroom worker’s lung
- malt worker’s lung
- maple bark disease
- hot tub lung
- wine maker’s lung
- woodsman’s disease
- thatched roof lung
- tobacco grower’s lung
- potato riddler’s lung
- summer-type pneumonitis
- dry rot lung
- machine operator’s lung
- humidifier lung
- shower curtain disease
- furrier’s lung
- miller’s lung
- lycoperdonosis
- saxophone lung
-
idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (mnemonic)
- acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP)
- cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP)
- desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP)
- non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)
- idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis
- lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP)
- respiratory bronchiolitis–associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD)
- usual interstitial pneumonia / idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (UIP/IPF)
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pneumoconioses
- fibrotic
- non-fibrotic
-
lung cancer
-
non-small-cell lung cancer
-
adenocarcinoma
- pre-invasive tumors
- minimally invasive tumors
- invasive tumors
- variants of invasive carcinoma
- described imaging features
- adenosquamous carcinoma
- large cell carcinoma
- primary sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung
- squamous cell carcinoma
- salivary gland-type tumors
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adenocarcinoma
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-
lung cancer invasion patterns
- tumor spread through air spaces (STAS)
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- myofibroblastic stroma associated with invasive tumor cells
- pleural invasion
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- tumors by location
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non-small-cell lung cancer