A Case of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Caused By Zinc Fume Inhalation

The Inhalation of certain freshly formed metal oxides can cause metal fume fever, which is an acute, self-limiting, flu-like illness. The most common cause of this syndrome is the inhalation of zinc oxide. The inhalation of zinc oxide can lead to tracheobronchiolitis, chemical pulmonary edema or t o respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). We encountered a 43-years-old man who developed severe dyspnea after inhaling of zinc oxide while working for 5 hours in a closed space. He was diagnosed with AR DS and was treated successfully with glucocorticoid. We report a case of ARDS caused by the inhalation of zinc fumes. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2007; 62: 314-317)Key Words: Zinc fume inhalation, Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Glu cocorticoid, N-acetylcysteine Address for correspondence: Hyun-Kyung Lee, M.D.Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, 633-165 Gaegum-2-dong, Jin-gu, Pusan, 614-735, KoreaPhone: 82-51-890-6270, Fax: 82-51-892-0273 E-mail: goodoc@gmail.comReceived: Feb. 8. 2007Accepted: Mar. 19. 2007