A Case of Accelerated Silicosis Mimicking Miliary Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Kim, Kwang Hyun; Kim, Sang Ha; Kwon, Woo Cheol; Lee, Myong Kyu; Choi, Hoon; Lee, Nak Won; Hong, Tae Won; Yong, Suk Joong; Shin, Kye Chul; Jung, Soon Hee; Lee, Won Yeon

doi:2005.59.6.684

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 59(6); 2005 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2005;59(6):684-689.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2005.59.6.684 Published online December 1, 2005.

A Case of Accelerated Silicosis Mimicking Miliary Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Kwang Hyun Kim, Sang Ha Kim, Woo Cheol Kwon, Myong Kyu Lee, Hoon Choi, Nak Won Lee, Tae Won Hong, Suk Joong Yong, Kye Chul Shin, Soon Hee Jung, Won Yeon Lee

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea. kimsh@wonju.yonsei.ac.kr
²Department of Radiology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
³Department of Pathology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.

Abstract

Silicosis is a chronic fibrosing lung disease that is initiated by prolonged and extensive exposure to respirable free crystalline silica. Accelerated silicosis is rare and is clinically identical to the classic form of silicosis with the exception that the time from initial exposure to the onset of the disease is shorter and the rate of disease progression is dramatically faster. We describe a case of accelerated silicosis, which mimicked miliary pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient had worked in a mine coal for a period of 9 years. Subsequently, he worked in construction dealing with cement and sand for 14 years until he visited this clinic. The clinical course was notable for the rapid progression of the radiological features of silicosis over a period of 2 months. Polarizing light microscopic studies of the biopsied specimens by a transbronchial lung biopsy showed polarizing particles, which were typical of silica. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of accelerated silicosis in Korea.

Key Words: Silicosis, Miliary tuberculosis