RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Our new understanding of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: What an internist needs to know
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP 977
OP 993
VO 68
IS 12
A1 Peter Mazzone
A1 Mary Jane Thomassen
A1 Mani Kavuru
YR 2001
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/68/12/977.abstract
AB Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP; the accumulation of surfactant lipids and proteins in the alveoli) has a number of infectious and environmental causes but is usually idiopathic. The clinical presentation of PAP is nonspecific; thus, the diagnosis is frequently missed, leading to inappropriate therapy and unnecessary morbidity. Recent advances suggest that a deficiency in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity may lead to this surfactant accumulation. Anti-GM-CSF antibodies have been found in PAP patients, fueling speculation that PAP may be an autoimmune disease. These findings are being translated into novel forms of therapy.