Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, apparently a new disease, is being encountered with increasing frequency. Clinically, progressive dyspnea is a common feature, and its severity is often at variance with the extent of the roentgenographic changes, which frequently resemble those of pulmonary edema. Pathologically, the alveoli are filled with a dense material that gives positive results when subjected to the periodic acid-Schiff staining technique; this material contains abundant fat and apparently is produced by proliferation and degeneration of septal cells. The pathogenesis of this disease and the exact nature of this material are obscure. This case represents the ninth fatality among the 32 cases of this disease now available for review in the literature.