Organizing Pneumonia After Exposure to Sodium Hypochlorite: A Case Report

Santos, Inês; Lucas, Sandra; Seixas, Rui; Lino, Ireneia

Organizing pneumonia (OP) is a rare inflammatory lung disease with a difficult diagnosis and sparse mentions in the literature. In most cases, the etiology is unknown but may be associated with infections, systemic disorders, exposure to industrial toxins and environmental pollutants, or even drug toxicity. This report describes a 77-year-old male who presented to the hospital with nonproductive cough, myalgias, fever, and progressive weight loss after prolonged exposure to sodium hypochlorite. The patient was treated with multiple courses of antibiotics with no pathogen isolation. Chest CT revealed condensation foci of all pulmonary lobes. His clinical history, laboratory results, and CT images led to the diagnosis of OP, which was confirmed with a transbronchial lung biopsy. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone with clinical improvement and discharge one week after the beginning of the corticosteroid treatment. OP diagnosis can be challenging and, if not considered, may lead to a delay in providing appropriate treatment to the patients, which can often lead to a prolonged hospital stay and poor outcomes.