Methylprednisolone pulse therapy rescued life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage due to idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is an extremely rare cause of massive pulmonary hemorrhage in children. During the acute phase, death due to massive alveolar hemorrhage and subsequent severe respiratory failure. We report two cases of IPH children who developed hypoxemic respiratory failure and massive pulmonary hemorrhage. One case of a 10-year-old boy was treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy (10mg/kg/d) for the first three days and followed by systemic steroid therapy, he successfully decannulated 10days later and discharged with a favorable quality of life. Another case of a 4year-old female child with Down's syndrome diagnosed as IPH for over one year and treated with oral corticosteroids for maintenance therapy. She sudden suffered severe hypoxemia with rapid falls in the hemoglobin level. We applied methylprednisolone pulse therapy (10mg/kg/d) for three days and other supportive therapies, the girl survived through complicated with oxygen dependence. We suggest that methylprednisolone pulse therapy provides a chance of recovery and survival for patients with IPH at the acute phase, even if accompanied by severe pulmonary hemorrhage.

Keywords: Children; Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis; Methylprednisolone pulse therapy; Pulmonary hemorrhage.