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Beneficial Response to Macrolide Antibiotic in a Patient With Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonia Refractory to Corticosteroid Therapy^*

^* From the Departments of Internal Medicine (Drs. Knyazhitskiy and Joiner), Pulmonary Medicine (Dr. Masson), and Pathology (Dr. Corkey), MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham, MA.

Correspondence to: Alexey Knyazhitskiy, MD, MetroWest Medical Center, Internal Medicine, 115 Lincoln St, Framingham, MA 01702; e-mail: aknyazhitskiy{at}mwmc.com

Macrolide antibiotics have been shown to have a beneficial effect in a number of pulmonary conditions that are characterized by inflammation, including cystic fibrosis, asthma, and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia. We report the first case of desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) showing a favorable response to treatment with clarithromycin. If confirmed, this observation would add DIP to the list of pulmonary disorders that are amenable to the beneficial antiinflammatory effects of macrolides.

Key Words: clarithromycin • desquamative interstitial pneumonia • macrolide