Severe Presentation of Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Possibly Secondary to Recent E-Cigarette Use

Abstract

A 52-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with fever and hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring intubation. He had no history of pulmonary disease but recently started smoking nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) after 10 years of tobacco abstinence. He had diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities on chest imaging, 11% peripheral eosinophilia (absolute eosinophil count 1300/µL), and 50% eosinophilia in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid without evidence of bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infection. Hypoxia and pulmonary infiltrates rapidly resolved after initiation of high-dose corticosteroids after bronchoscopy. A diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia was made, possibly secondary to recent e-cigarette use.