Definition of Drug-induced pulmonary disease:

Drug-induced pulmonary disease is lung disease brought on by a bad reaction to a medication.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Many types of lung injury can result from medications. It is usually impossible to predict who will develop lung disease from a medication or drug.

The types of lung problems or diseases that may be caused by medications include:

• Allergic reactions -- asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or eosinophilic pneumonia
• Bleeding into the lung air sacks, called alveoli (alveolar hemorrhage)
• Bronchitis
• Damage to lung tissue (interstitial fibrosis)
• Drugs that cause the immune system to mistakenly attack and destroy healthy body tissue, such asdrug-induced lupus erythematosus
• Granulomatous lung disease -- a type of inflammation in the lungs
• Inflammation of the lung air sacks (pneumonitis or infiltration)
• Lung failure
• Lung vasculitis (inflammation of lung blood vessels)
• Lymph node swelling
• Mediastinitis
• Pulmonary edema
• Pleural effusion

Many drugs are known to cause lung disease in some people, including:

• Certain antibiotics, such as nitrofurantoin and sulfa drugs
• Certain heart medicines, such as amiodarone
• Chemotherapy drugs such as bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate
• Illegal drugs