A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature

Background. Neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is a rare respiratory disorder. During infancy, it typically presents with hypoxemia, tachypnea, and respiratory distress, and is commonly misdiagnosed as common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, reactive airway disease, or bronchiol...

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Main Authors: Chetna Mangat, Mikaela DeCoster, Natasa Milosavljevic, Lisa Hiskey, Elizabeth H. Ristagno, Nadir Demirel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Pediatrics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907338
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author Chetna Mangat
Mikaela DeCoster
Natasa Milosavljevic
Lisa Hiskey
Elizabeth H. Ristagno
Nadir Demirel
author_facet Chetna Mangat
Mikaela DeCoster
Natasa Milosavljevic
Lisa Hiskey
Elizabeth H. Ristagno
Nadir Demirel
author_sort Chetna Mangat
collection DOAJ
description Background. Neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is a rare respiratory disorder. During infancy, it typically presents with hypoxemia, tachypnea, and respiratory distress, and is commonly misdiagnosed as common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, reactive airway disease, or bronchiolitis. Lack of awareness about this relatively new and rare disorder in primary care and acute care settings lead to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary use of antibiotics. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 7-month-old girl, born prematurely at 32 weeks with tachypnea and respiratory distress who was initially diagnosed with viral pneumonia, then upper respiratory infection, and finally with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, while the child never had any fever or upper respiratory symptoms. Failure of outpatient treatment with oral antibiotic and bronchodilator, with the persistence of respiratory symptoms such as retractions, bilateral crackles, and hypoxemia led to hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics. Given persistent symptoms, further evaluation was performed, and she was diagnosed with NEHI based on characteristic chest CT findings. Conclusions. Viral respiratory infections are the most frequent cause of respiratory illnesses in the first years of life. Primary care providers should be aware of less frequent causes of persistent respiratory symptoms in infancy like NEHI and other interstitial lung diseases in children. This may prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics and delayed diagnosis.
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spelling doaj-art-ba77b2cb0c41491db4fcd755591796122025-08-20T03:22:52ZengWileyCase Reports in Pediatrics2090-68112022-01-01202210.1155/2022/7907338A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the LiteratureChetna Mangat0Mikaela DeCoster1Natasa Milosavljevic2Lisa Hiskey3Elizabeth H. Ristagno4Nadir Demirel5Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineMedical College of WI- Central WisconsinDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineDepartment of Pediatric Infectious DiseaseDepartment of Pediatric Infectious DiseaseDepartment of Pediatric PulmonologyBackground. Neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is a rare respiratory disorder. During infancy, it typically presents with hypoxemia, tachypnea, and respiratory distress, and is commonly misdiagnosed as common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, reactive airway disease, or bronchiolitis. Lack of awareness about this relatively new and rare disorder in primary care and acute care settings lead to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary use of antibiotics. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 7-month-old girl, born prematurely at 32 weeks with tachypnea and respiratory distress who was initially diagnosed with viral pneumonia, then upper respiratory infection, and finally with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, while the child never had any fever or upper respiratory symptoms. Failure of outpatient treatment with oral antibiotic and bronchodilator, with the persistence of respiratory symptoms such as retractions, bilateral crackles, and hypoxemia led to hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics. Given persistent symptoms, further evaluation was performed, and she was diagnosed with NEHI based on characteristic chest CT findings. Conclusions. Viral respiratory infections are the most frequent cause of respiratory illnesses in the first years of life. Primary care providers should be aware of less frequent causes of persistent respiratory symptoms in infancy like NEHI and other interstitial lung diseases in children. This may prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics and delayed diagnosis.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907338
spellingShingle Chetna Mangat
Mikaela DeCoster
Natasa Milosavljevic
Lisa Hiskey
Elizabeth H. Ristagno
Nadir Demirel
A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
Case Reports in Pediatrics
title A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
title_full A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
title_fullStr A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
title_full_unstemmed A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
title_short A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature
title_sort rare case report of nehi in a preterm infant with review of the literature
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907338
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