Pregnancy in a patient with severe pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease that affects both lungs. It is characterized by the presence of small calculi (calcium phosphate) within the alveolar spaces. We report the case of a 26-year-old female whose diagnosis was based on characteristic findings on chest X-rays and high-resolution computed tomography scans. The patient, 28 weeks pregnant, was rehospitalized 10 months after the diagnosis, presenting hypoxemic acute respiratory failure and severe restrictive ventilatory defect on spirometry. After 32 completed weeks of gestation (228 days), she was submitted to cesarean section, and the outcome was successful for mother and newborn. PAM has a variable clinical course. It is suggestive of an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern and has been associated with positive family history. The etiology of PAM is unclear, and many authors speculate that there is a local enzymatic defect responsible for the intra-alveolar accumulation of calcium. Reports of patients with PAM who become pregnant are exceptional, and this is the first case described in Brazil. The course of this disease is usually slow and progressive, and patients typically die of cardiorespiratory failure. The present case illustrates the need to offer female patients, especially those with advanced disease, genetic counseling and orientation regarding the risks of pregnancy. Currently, the only effective therapy is lung transplantation.

Gravidez em paciente com microlitíase alveolar pulmonar grave / Pregnancy in a patient with severe pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis

A microlitíase alveolar pulmonar (MAP) é uma doença rara que atinge ambos os pulmões, caracterizada pela presença de pequenos cálculos (fosfato de cálcio) nos espaços alveolares. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente do sexo feminino, de 26 anos, cujo diagnóstico foi confirmado com base nos achados marcantes na radiografia de tórax e tomografia computadorizada de alta resolução. A paciente, gestante de 28 semanas, retornou ao hospital 10 meses após o diagnóstico apresentando insuficiência respiratória hipoxêmica e com distúrbio ventilatório restritivo grave à espirometria. Após completadas 32 semanas e 4 dias de gestação, foi submetida aparto cesariano, com sucesso para mãe e filha. A MAP tem evolução clínica variável. Tem provável caráter autossômico recessivo e associação com história familiar positiva. A etiologia é incerta, e muitos autores especulam que haja um defeito enzimático local responsável pelo acúmulo intra-alveolar de cálcio. Relatos de pacientes com MAP que engravidaram são excepcionais, sendo o presente caso o primeiro descrito no Brasil. O curso dessa doença costuma ser lentamente progressivo, e os pacientes geralmente falecem devido à insuficiência cardiorrespiratória. O presente caso ilustra a necessidade de se oferecer aconselhamento genético e orientações sobre o risco de gravidez às pacientes, especialmente em casos de doença avançada. Atualmente, a única terapia efetiva é o transplante pulmonar.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease that affects both lungs. It is characterized by the presence of small calculi (calcium phosphate) within the alveolar spaces. We report the case of a 26-year-old female whose diagnosis was based on characteristic findings on chest X-rays and high-resolution computed tomography scans. The patient, 28 weeks pregnant, was rehospitalized 10 months after the diagnosis, presenting hypoxemic acute respiratory failure and severe restrictive ventilatory defect on spirometry. After 32 completed weeks of gestation (228 days), she was submitted to cesarean section, and the outcome was successful for mother and newborn. PAM has a variable clinical course. It is suggestive of an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern and has been associated with positive family history. The etiology of PAM is unclear, and many authors speculate that there is a local enzymatic defect responsible for the intra-alveolar accumulation of calcium. Reports of patients with PAM who become pregnant are exceptional, and this is the first case described in Brazil. The course of this disease is usually slow and progressive, and patients typically die of cardiorespiratory failure. The present case illustrates the need to offer female patients, especially those with advanced disease, genetic counseling and orientation regarding the risks of pregnancy. Currently, the only effective therapy is lung transplantation.