DIFFUSE PANBRONCHIOLITIS IN AN ASIAN IMMIGRANT

Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a disease with chronic inflammation exclusively located in the region of the respiratory bronchiole. It is largely restricted geographically to the Far East, and cases in Weste rn countries are exceptional, even among Asian immigrants. A patient o f Asian origin with DPB who had been living in France for 10 years is described. Only re-examination of the initial open lung biopsy specime n after an eight year period allowed this rare disease to be diagnosed correctly. The known efficacy of low dose erythromycin in DPB was aga in confirmed after failure of long term high dose corticosteroid thera py administered before an accurate diagnosis had been made.