Therapeutic effectiveness of rituximab in a patient with unresponsive autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease characterised by the accumulation of lung surfactant in the alveoli. In most cases it is an autoimmune disease with antibodies directed against the growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Standard of care consists of whole lung lavages in symptomatic patients.