Sertraline-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: A case series and Literature Review

Shimon Izhakian; Dror Rosengarten; Barak Pertzov; Ahuva Grubstein; Moshe Heching; Ludmila Fridel; Mordechai R Kramer

doi:10.36141/svdld.v38i3.11363

Sertraline-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: A case series and Literature Review

Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis. 2021;38(3):e2021027. doi: 10.36141/svdld.v38i3.11363. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Authors

Shimon Izhakian^{1

2

3}, Dror Rosengarten^{1

2

3}, Barak Pertzov^{1

2}, Ahuva Grubstein^{2

4}, Moshe Heching^{1

2}, Ludmila Fridel^{2

5}, Mordechai R Kramer^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Pulmonary Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
² Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
³ Equal contribution.
⁴ Mammography Clinic, Department of Radiology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
⁵ Pathology Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.

Abstract

Sertraline-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a rare entity. A search of the English medical literature retrieved only 9 such cases. We report herein on an additional 12 patients who developed ILD during treatment with sertraline. The patients met the criteria for drug-induced pulmonary toxicity such as exposure to drug, correlation of the drug with clinical symptoms, lung imaging, lung biopsy findings, exclusion of other potential causes and improvement after drug removal. We review the available data and discuss various aspects of this entity. The possibility of drug-induced ILD should be considered in an individual who during treatment with sertraline develops dyspnea, cough, and radiographic findings compatible with ILD. Further epidemiological studies should be conducted to explore the association of sertraline treatment with ILD, and to delineate, substantiate, and broaden our knowledge of this rare entity.

Keywords: Interstitial lung disease; Pulmonary fibrosis; SSRI; Sertraline.