Drug-induced pulmonary disease

Definition:

A disease of the lungs caused by an adverse reaction to a medication.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Lung injury from medications is the result of an allergic reaction, overdose, or undesirable side effect. Pulmonary lung symptoms caused by drugs include asthma, cough, infiltration, interstitial fibrosis, pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, mediastinal widening, respiratory failure, and drug induced systemic lupus erythematosus. Numerous drugs are known to cause lung (pulmonary) disease in some people including chemotherapy agents, certain antimicrobials, certain illicit drugs, certain cardiovascular drugs, and others. The incidence is 2 out of 10,000 people.