Lupus and Pulmonary Nodules Consistent With Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia Induced by Carbamazepine

    December 1997 in “ Mayo Clinic proceedings ”
    Anne-Marie Milési-Lecat, Jeannot Schmidt, O. Aumaître, Jean-Louis Kémény, J. Moinard, Jean‐Charles Piette
    TLDR Carbamazepine may cause lung problems and lupus-like symptoms, which can improve after stopping the drug.
    A 52-year-old woman taking carbamazepine for epilepsy developed facial erythema, arthralgia, dyspnea, and multiple pulmonary nodules, which were diagnosed as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). High levels of antinuclear and antihistone antibodies indicated carbamazepine-induced lupus (CIL). Her symptoms resolved after discontinuing carbamazepine without the need for anti-inflammatory drugs, underscoring the importance of considering drug-induced causes in patients with new respiratory symptoms during carbamazepine treatment.
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