Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia complicated by pulmonary embolism following glucocorticoid therapy: a case report

Clinicians should consider COP in elderly patients with pneumonia unresponsive to antibiotics, confirm the diagnosis through biopsy, and remain vigilant for hypercoagulable states during glucocorticoid tapering. Anticoagulation should be tailored even in the absence of traditional thrombosis risk factors. The temporal association between steroid tapering and PE suggests that glucocorticoids may modulate endothelial function and coagulation pathways, highlighting the need for mechanistic studies to inform thromboembolic surveillance in COP management.