Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis presenting as severe iron deficiency anaemia — a case from Pakistan

Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis is an uncommon disorder, which is characterized by iron deficiency, recurrent haemoptysis and diffuse parenchymal infiltration on chest radiograph. we report an 8 year old child who had past history of multiple blood transfusions with diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia and recurrent chest infection since the age of 21/2 year. at the age of 8 years, the child presented with fever and severe respiratory distress requiring intubation and ventilation. on chest x-ray, bilateral white out was found and ct scan lung showed diffuse alveolar involvement. lung biopsy confirmed haemosiderin-laden macrophages. child was put on steroids and despite severe anaemia (hb 3.2 g/dl), he showed improvement and survived. to our knowledge, this is the first case of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis reported from pakistan.