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Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is often a catastrophic clinical syndrome causing respiratory
failure. Recognition of DAH often requires BAL as symptoms are nonspecific, hemoptysis is
absent in up to one-third of patients, and radiographic imaging is also nonspecific and similar to
other acute alveolar filling processes. Once the diagnosis is established, the underlying cause
must be established in order to initiate treatment. This review discusses the diagnosis of the
underlying histologies and the clinical entities that are responsible for DAH as well as treatment
options.
CHEST 2010; 137(5):11641171
Abbreviations: ANCA 5 antineutrophilic cytoplasmic autoantibodies; DAH 5 diffuse alveolar hemorrhage;
IPH 5 idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis; MPA 5 microscopic polyangiitis; MPO 5 myeloperoxidase; PR3 5 proteinase 3;
SLE 5 systemic lupus erythematosus; WG 5 Wegener granulomatosis
Definition
DAH is recognized by the clinical constellation
of hemoptysis, anemia, diffuse radiographic pulmonary infiltrates, and hypoxemic respiratory failure.
The underlying histopathology of DAH includes
the presence of intraalveolar RBCs and fibrin and
the eventual accumulation of hemosiderin-laden
macrophages, which may take up to 48 to 72 h to
accumulate. Of the histologies that are associated
with DAH (pulmonary capillaritis, bland pulmonary
hemorrhage, diffuse alveolar damage, and miscellaneous histology) pulmonary capillaritis is the most
common.
Recent Advances in Chest Medicine
1165
pulmonary capillaritis, isolated pauciimmune pulmonary capillaritis was the most common cause of DAH.11
Overall, patients with isolated pauciimmune pulmonary capillaritis tend to have a better prognosis when
compared with DAH occurring in the setting of a
systemic vasculitis or collagen vascular disease.
IPH
IPH is a rare syndrome in which repeated episodes
of DAH occur resulting in chronic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis.12 The incidence in the adult population
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not be considered as first-line therapy in Wegenerassociated DAH.22 Plasma exchange has also shown
usefulness if instituted early in the disease course.23-25
MPA
MPA is a systemic vasculitis that is confined to the
microvessels and is always associated with a focal
segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis. It is distinguished from ANCA-associated granulomatous
vasculitis by the absence of upper airway involvement. DAH due to pulmonary capillaritis occurs in
up to one-third of patients and represents the only
pulmonary manifestation of MPA. DAH increases
the mortality of MPA. In the acute setting, 30% of
patients do not survive an episode of DAH; in those
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1167
necessary in patients with suspected DAH in the setting of ANCA-positive disease provided infection has
been excluded. Treatment, as with ANCA-associated
granulomatous vasculitis, is glucocorticoids, cyclophosphamide, and plasmapheresis, and is the recommended regimen for induction of remission.31
Recombinant factor VIIa has been used to treat severe
DAH in MPA with unremitting respiratory failure.
The mechanism of factor VIIa treatment is the
enhancement of thrombin generation on the surface
of activated platelets at the sites of hemorrhage.32
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
DAH occurs in 4% of patients with systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE) admitted to the hospital
and pulmonary capillaritis is usually the underlying
cause.8 In an immunosuppressed patient with SLE,
infectious pneumonia should be excluded as the
cause of DAH.33 In the majority of DAH associated
with SLE, glomerulonephritis is also present, and
in 80% the DAH occurs in patients with known
SLE.8 These are most often young females with a
mean age of 27 years. The mortality had been previously reported to be as high as 50%; however, with
the use of aggressive treatment with glucocorticoids
and cyclophosphamide, the mortality associated
with DAH in SLE is declining.8,34,35 DAH is distinguished from acute lupus pneumonitis using
sequential BAL. Acute lupus pneumonitis presents
with similar clinical and radiographic features as
DAH; however, it also has systemic symptoms typical of an SLE flare and may be the only manifestation of the initial presentation of SLE. 36 The
histologic appearance of acute lupus pneumonitis is
varied and includes diffuse alveolar damage, organizing pneumonia, nonspecific cellular pneumonitis, or a combination of these histologic patterns,
but capillaritis is not present.37 Immune complexes
are frequently found in the lung. The deposition of
immune complexes and the activation of complement within the lung are central to the development
of parenchymal disease in SLE.38 Methylprednisolone is recommended (1-2 mg/kg/d in divided
doses). High-dose pulse methylprednisolone (1 g
given in divided doses for 3 days) can be given to
those with DAH or acute lupus pneumonitis. Escalating treatment in steroid-resistant DAH includes
azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, or intravenous g
globulin. The combination of high-dose intravenous
methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide anecdotally is the most effective combination. In refractory cases, plasmapheresis has been used; however,
survival does not appear to be improved.35,39-41 In a
patient with SLE who has established DAH, recurrences are to be expected.
1168
1998.66 Since then, the mechanism of the acute rejection with DAH has been studied further.67-69 A necrotizing, pauciinflammatory septal capillary injury
pattern was noted. Immunofluorescent staining
revealed a septal capillary deposition of antibodies
specific for complement factors and immunoglobulin
subtypes.67 Differentiating between acute cellular
rejection and posttransplant capillaritis requires tissue
biopsy and can be found concomitantly in . 50% of
cases. Isolated pulmonary capillaritis, however, is an
infrequent occurrence (approximately 10% of all biopsies performed; M. Zamora, personal communication).
Treatment consists of IV corticosteroids and plasmapheresis in severe cases.69-72
Bone Marrow Transplant
Pulmonary complications develop in 30% to 60% of
all bone marrow transplant recipients and are the cause
of death in up to 60%.73,74 DAH occurs in approximately
5% of allogeneic and autologous recipients and has a
reported mortality rate ranging from 50% to 100%.7,75
Of the recipients that develop DAH as a pulmonary
complication and survive, the 6-month76 mortality
is 38%.77
The frequency of DAH does not appear to vary significantly with the type of hematopoietic stem cell
transplant, with a reported frequency of 1% to 21%
in autologous and 2% to 17% in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.7 Risk factors for
the development of DAH in bone marrow transplant
recipients include older age, total body radiation,
myeloablative conditioning regimens, and severe acute
graft-vs-host disease.7,78 Clinically, these patients
present with hemoptysis less frequently compared
with other causes of DAH with a rate of approximately 15%.76,77 Protective strategies, such as reducing the intensity of the conditioning regimen, do not
appear to decrease the risk of DAH.7 The pathogenesis of DAH in bone marrow transplant recipients
has yet to be clearly established, but it has been
suggested that tissue injury, inflammation, and the
associated cytokine release play important roles.
Lung biopsy reveals diffuse alveolar damage and
DAH.79 The majority of patients with DAH require
mechanical ventilation and corticosteroids are the
mainstay of treatment, although their effectiveness
remains uncertain.74,78
Summary
DAH is a clinicopathologic syndrome that results
from a variety of conditions and should be considered
a life-threatening event. Once believed to be a rare
syndrome, DAH is being recognized with increasing
frequency. A systematic approach to early recognition,
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Acknowledgments
Financial/nonfinancial disclosures: The authors have reported
to CHEST that no potential conflicts of interest exist with any
companies/organizations whose products or services may be
discussed in this article.
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