Gastric Lavage-An Alternate Approach in the Diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis: A Case Report
Idiopathic pulmonary Hemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare and life threatening condition, found primarily in children, that causes recurrent episodes of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. It is characterized by hemoptysis, alveolar infiltrates on chest radiograph and various degrees of anemia. It affects pediatric patients in approximately 80% of cases with equal gender incidence. When no underlying cause for repeated episodes of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is apparent, the entity is referred to as idiopathic pulmonary Hemosiderosis. Studies have shown that the detection of hemosiderin-laden macrophages in broncho alveolar lavage fluid and gastric aspirate is crucial for the confirmation of diagnosis. We present a case of 10 months old baby boy where cytological findings in the gastric lavage proved highly beneficial in the diagnosis of IPH.
