Clinical importance of serum heme oxygenase-1 measurement in patients with acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis triggered by coronavirus disease 2019.

Abstract

A 70-year-old man diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) one year earlier developed progressive exertional dyspnea 3 weeks after onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). High-resolution computed tomography showed new extensive ground-glass opacities with rapidly progressive honeycombing. Although he was diagnosed with acute exacerbation (AE) of IPF triggered by COVID-19 and received methylprednisolone pulse therapy twice within one month, there was no improvement of oxygenation and lung involvement. Three months after COVID-19 onset, it was decided to provide best supportive care. An AE of IPF as a sequela of COVID-19, which is recognized as macrophage activation syndrome, is fatal, and in this case, the measurement of serum heme oxygenase-1, which is a macrophage activation biomarker involved in pulmonary cellular protection against oxidative stress, was useful for tracking disease activity.

• Authors: Yu Hara, Yume Oshima, Yoichi Tagami, Ayako Aoki, Hiroaki Fujii, Ami Izawa, Kenichi Seki, Akinori Kanai, Aya Yabe, Keisuke Watanabe, Nobuyuki Horita, Nobuaki Kobayashi, Takeshi Kaneko
• Journal: Respiratory medicine case reports (Respir Med Case Rep) Vol. 36 Pg. 101615 ( 2022) ISSN: 2213-0071 [Print] England
• PMID: 35223424 (Publication Type: Case Reports)
• Copyright: © 2022 The Authors.