Chloroquine treatment in desquamative interstitial pneumonia.

An infant presented with failure to thrive, tachypnoea, and hypoxia reversed by oxygen. Lung function showed decreased pulmonary compliance; lung biopsy showed desquamative interstitial pneumonitis. Chloroquine 10 mg/kg/day resulted in improvement and relapse when temporarily stopped. The patient was completely asymptomatic during four years' treatment and six months after stopping treatment.