Mefloquine-Induced Eosinophilic Pneumonia.

Katsenos, Stamatis; Psathakis, Kostas; Nikolopoulou, Melita I.; Constantopoulos, Stavros H.

Mefloquine has been widely used for prophylaxis and treatment of patients with chloroquine-resistant malaria; the drug is usually well tolerated. Rarely, adverse effects may be severe, including gastrointestinal disturbances, neuropsychiatric reactions, cardiovascular manifestations, skin lesions, musculoskeletal symptoms, and bone marrow toxicity. We describe a 67-year-old woman with fever, dyspnea on exertion, peripheral blood eosinophilia, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on chest radiography. She had taken mefloquine for malaria prophylaxis for an 8-week trip to South Africa. A thorough work-up led to the diagnosis of eosinophilic pneumonia caused by the mefloquine. Her condition improved after the drug was discontinued. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mefloquine-induced eosinophilic pneumonia. Clinicians should be aware of this rare, potential adverse effect of mefloquine.

GREECE; MEFLOQUINE; PNEUMONIA; EOSINOPHILIA; DRUG side effects

Pharmacotherapy, 2007, Vol 27, Issue 12, p1767

0277-0008

Academic Journal

10.1592/phco.27.12.1767