Hamman‐Rich syndrome, also known as acute interstitial pneumonia, is a rare and
fulminant form of idiopathic interstitial lung disease. It should be considered as a cause of
idiopathic acute respiratory distress syndrome. Confirmatory diagnosis requires
demonstration of diffuse alveolar damage on lung histopathology. The main treatment is
supportive care. It is not clear if glucocorticoid therapy is effective in acute interstitial
pneumonia. We report the case of a 77‐year‐old woman without pre‐existing lung disease …

We report the case of a 65-year-old woman with no history of respiratory disease who
suffered onset of dyspnea after an episode of pseudoinfluenza. Dyspnea progressed such
that within 15 days it was triggered by minimal effort. The patient died 15 hours after
admission to our hospital, with a clinical picture of adult respiratory distress. Autopsy allowed
us to rule out several diseases and arrive at a diagnosis of acute interstitial pneumonia,
consistent with clinical course, anatomical and pathological findings as described in the …