Abstract:

We presented an interstitial pneumonia case developed due to very rarely seen cytomegalovirus (CMV) in a 66 year-old female patient who had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This patient who was on prednisolone and cyclophosphamide developed high fever, dyspnea and rales in lungs, high CRP, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia after 11 days of cyclophosphamide treatment. Interstitial infiltration was detected in thoracic tomography. CMV antigen and CMV-DNA by RT-PCR were positive in blood. It was considered as CMV pneumonia. Ganciclovir treatment was started. CMV antigen became negative in the 14th days of the treatment. Clinical improvement was observed at the same time. It is necessary to remember CMV as the agents responsible for causing pneumonia due to high mortality in immunosuppressive host such as SLE. In the blood CMV antigen and CMV DNA investigation may contribute to the diagnosis in that bronchoalveolar lavage cannot be performed.

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