Evaluation of persistent pulmonary infiltrate

Last reviewed: 12 Oct 2024
Last updated: 25 Jun 2024

Summary

Differentials

Common

  • Community-acquired pneumonia (nonresolving)
  • Atypical pneumonia (nonresolving)
  • Hospital-acquired pneumonia (nonresolving)
  • Empyema
  • Lung abscess
  • Lung cancer (metastatic)
  • Small cell lung cancer
  • Non-small cell lung cancer
  • Tuberculosis
  • Aspiration pneumonia
  • HIV infection
  • Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (nonresolving)
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Cardiogenic pulmonary edema
Full details

Uncommon

  • Foreign body aspiration
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Organizing pneumonia
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Scleroderma
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Polymyositis
  • Sjogren syndrome
  • Asbestosis
  • Silicosis
  • Lymphoma and acute leukemia
  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
  • Systemic vasculitis
  • Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener granulomatosis)
  • Churg-Strauss syndrome
  • Allergic bronchopneumonic aspergillosis
  • Loeffler syndrome
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonia (extrinsic allergic alveolitis)
  • Acute idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia
  • Idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia
  • Drug-induced infiltrate
  • Cocaine use disorder
  • Radiation pneumonitis
  • Amyloidosis
  • Langerhans cell histiocytosis
  • Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
  • Lipoid pneumonia
  • Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis
Full details

Contributors

Authors

Athanasia Pataka, MD

Respiratory Physician

Aristotle University

Thessaloniki

Greece

Disclosures

AP declares that she has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Athanasia Pataka would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Paraskevi Argyropoulou-Pataka, a previous contributor to this topic.

Disclosures

PAP declares that she has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Cristine Radojicic, MD

Staff Physician

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland

OH

Disclosures

CR declares that she has no competing interests.

Mathina Darmalingam, MBChB, FCP

Clinical Lead in Respiratory Medicine

Whipps Cross University Hospital

NHS Trust

London

UK

Disclosures

MD declares that she has no competing interests.

Ioannis P. Kioumis, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Pulmonary Medicine and Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary Medicine Clinic

Aristotle University

Thessaloniki

Greece

Disclosures

IPK declares that he has no competing interests.

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