Pulmonary Reactions Simulating Cardiac Pulmonary Edema Caused by Nitrofurantoin

PULMONARY edema is usually the result of heart disease. When it occurs in patients with established or suspected heart disease there is little reason to look beyond the heart for a cause. There are conditions, however, that may present a clinical picture resembling pulmonary edema. They include bronchial or pulmonary infections, pulmonary embolism and sensitivity reactions in the lung. If any of these occur in patients with existing heart disease they may be overlooked as a cause of symptoms.Sensitivity reactions of the lung to drugs are uncommon and usually take the form of pulmonary infiltration, with eosinophilia. Rarely do . . .