Alveolitis (lung) - Causes, Symptoms, Complications And Treatment Of Alveolitis

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes, symptoms, complications and treatment of lung alveolitis

Content:

• Alveolitis symptoms
• Alveolitis reasons
• Complications of alveolitis
• Alveolitis treatment
• Prevention of alveolitis

What is alveolitis?

Alveolitis is a disease that involves damage to the alveoli or pulmonary vesicles. The inflammatory process often leads to fibrosis of the lung tissue. Alveolitis develops independently under the influence of a number of external stimuli or is a consequence of another disease.

The following types of disease are distinguished:

Idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis

It is called diffuse or interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, Hammen-Rich syndrome. This type of alveolitis is less common than the others, and men suffer from it much more often than women. Hammen-Rich syndrome manifests itself in the form of lesions of the pulmonary interstitium, which further leads to the development of respiratory failure and pneumosclerosis.

The main symptoms of idiopathic alveolitis are severe cough and shortness of breath. The disease is rarely detected in the early stages, therefore, in most cases, an accurate diagnosis is made with a history of at least 3 months, and often several years. The first symptoms of idiopathic alveolitis do not cause concern in patients. The body gradually adapts to shortness of breath and cough. To avoid the manifestation of these symptoms, patients, as a rule, begin to lead a less active lifestyle. When carrying out an X-ray examination, a deformation of the pulmonary pattern, an increased volume of connective tissue, which grows as the disease progresses, is noticeable in the picture.

The development of pulmonary fibrosis gradually reduces the chances of recovery. Timely started treatment allows you to almost completely get rid of idiopathic alveolitis. However, patients have to be under the supervision of a doctor all their lives and periodically undergo examination. In the absence of treatment, in most cases, death occurs after a few months or years.

Read more: Idiopathic Fibrosing Alveolitis

Exogenous allergic alveolitis

The cause of the development of the disease is external stimuli: plant dust, fungal spores, drugs. There are two ways they enter the body: inhalation and non-inhalation, which is very rare. A large number of subspecies of exogenous allergic alveolitis have been identified, depending on the specific type of irritant. This disease affects bird lovers and furriers, which is due to the constant work with fur and feathers, farmers who deal with rotten hay.

Depending on the frequency of contact with the irritant that caused the alveolitis, an acute, subacute and chronic form is possible. The patient's lungs have darkening, their transparency decreases. In the chronic form, the tissue density of the respiratory tract gradually increases. Effective treatment of allergic alveolitis is based on the elimination of contact with the irritant. Without this, the use of drugs will be ineffective.

Read more: Exogenous Allergic Alveolitis

Toxic alveolitis

It appears under the influence of the direct action of toxic substances on the lungs. The drugs that cause the development of the disease are drugs, for example, sulfonamides, immunosuppressants, or chemical toxicants such as zinc, talc, ammonia, chlorine. They can enter the body with the blood stream or directly during respiration.

If you do not stop the exposure to irritants, the disease will become chronic. It is dangerous by the formation of fibrous tissue that replaces the damaged epithelial. Over time, this will lead to the loss of the alveoli of their main functions.

Symptoms of lung alveolitis

The following symptoms of alveolitis can be distinguished:

• Dyspnea. At first, patients may not attach much importance to it and do not seek help from specialists, since breathing difficulties arise only during active movements. But gradually the shortness of breath increases, it occurs even when walking at a moderate pace. Most often, patients with alveolitis consult a doctor 3 months after its appearance or even after several years.
• Cough. Most often occurs with idiopathic alveolitis. The cough can be accompanied by wheezing, especially in patients with bronchitis, but blood is not coughing up.
• Pain. They are felt in the chest and under the shoulder blades. Discomfort in this area can prevent you from taking deep breaths.
• Deterioration of the general condition of the patient. Many patients lose weight, they have a constantly elevated body temperature and weakness. Patients suffering from alveolitis may experience pain in the joints and muscles. Fibrosing alveolitis leads to deformation of the fingers.
• respiratory failure;
• enlarged neck veins and swelling;
• cachexia;

This condition is characterized by an extreme form of exhaustion of the body, in which the patient complains of general weakness in the body, loses weight. All this is accompanied by a slowdown in physiological processes and has a negative effect on the psyche. Loss of appetite leads to a lack of vitamins, as a result of which the skin takes on an earthy pale shade. The patient becomes lethargic, his performance decreases, and the subcutaneous tissue decreases sharply.

Causes of lung alveolitis

The following causes of alveolitis are distinguished:

• Viruses. Among them are the hepatitis C virus, herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, HIV. By acting on the immune system, they weaken it, as a result of which the body is more susceptible to external stimuli.
• Heredity. The exact influence of this cause has not been established, but there is an assumption that genes also influence the development of alveolitis.
• autoimmune factor;
• external stimuli.

They can be chemicals or natural substances, for example, feathers and bird droppings, fur, bark, spores of a raincoat fungus, sawdust, rotten hay, rotten coffee and even some types of cheese. However, they can cause alveolitis with constant contact. Usually, such external irritants of natural origin lead to the development of an allergic type of disease, and chemicals - to a toxic one.

What diseases can it be associated with?

Fibrosing alveolitis can be combined with various diseases. First of all, it is vasculitis that affects the pulmonary walls. It is diagnosed during an x-ray. Alveolitis can also be accompanied by candidiasis. This secondary disease manifests itself as dark spots on the lungs and leads to fibrosis.

Often, together with alveolitis, lupus erythematosus, hepatitis C, HIV are diagnosed. The connection of the disease even with rheumatoid arthritis has been established. Viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C, sometimes cause alveolitis. The disease has similar symptoms with sarcode and pneumonia. At the same time, additional research is required to make an accurate diagnosis.

Complications

Alveolitis, if untreated, leads to the development of serious complications, including progressive respiratory failure, cor pulmonale, and even pulmonary edema. It is caused by the ingress of the liquid part of the blood into the lung tissue, as a result of which gas exchange is disrupted. In this case, the patient needs to provide urgent medical care on time, otherwise death occurs.

Depending on the course, pulmonary edema can be of several types:

• Lightning fast - characterized by rapid development and a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition, resulting in death;
• Acute - develops within a few hours and is often also fatal;
• Subacute - in this case, the manifestation of symptoms alternately increases and decreases;
• Prolonged - this type of pulmonary edema is more characteristic of alveolitis, develops within 12-24 hours.

Treatment of lung alveolitis

How is alveolitis treated?

Alveolitis treatment should be carried out under the constant supervision of a physician. The specific methods differ depending on the type of disease. With toxic and allergic alveolitis, along with the use of drugs, it is necessary to eliminate the external irritant that caused its development.

For fibrosing alveolitis, glucocorticoids are used. In this case, it is important to start treatment on time, since the rapid replacement of epithelial tissue with fibrous tissue causes the alveoli to stop participating in the respiratory process, which can lead to a detailed outcome. If glucocorticoids are ineffective, penicillamine and immunosuppressants come to the rescue (more about the treatment of exogenous allergic alveolitis).

Allergic and toxic alveolitis requires the use of glucocorticosteroids. But first of all, the external stimulus that caused the disease is eliminated. Allergic alveolitis is also dangerous by the development of fibrosis. An additional course of vitamins, breathing exercises and special physical exercises can accelerate the recovery of patients with this disease. (more about the treatment of idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis)

What drugs to treat alveolitis?

As part of the drug treatment of alveolitis, various antidepressants are widely used, for example, Azathioprine. This drug blocks cell division and slows down fibrosis. Aminophylline is used to improve lung function and stimulate the respiratory center in alveolitis. Dexamethasone has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.

Often, Prednisolone, which is a glucocorticoid, is also used to treat alveolitis. They, together with means for increasing immunity, are very effective in alveolitis. Antihistamines can block histamine receptors, which provoke the external manifestations of allergic reactions, including pulmonary edema. Their treatment is required for allergic and toxic alveolitis.

Alveolitis treatment at home

At home, treatment of alveolitis can only be done with the permission of a specialist. In most cases, therapy in the clinic is more effective, since the patient is constantly under the supervision of doctors. With fibrosing alveolitis, a complete cure is impossible. After the patient undergoes treatment in the hospital, he is discharged home and the further struggle with the disease continues, accompanied by regular consultations with a specialist.

Treatment of alveolitis should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor with the help of various medications, however, after consultation with a specialist, it can be supplemented with alternative methods, which will make it possible to quickly achieve a positive effect. So, it is recommended to drink pumpkin juice, which helps to cope with edema in the lungs. It should be drunk no more than 1.5 liters per day.

For alveolitis, a tincture made from lingonberry leaves is also useful. 10 g of dry leaves are boiled with boiling water (250 ml), then the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes. When the tincture has cooled, it should be drunk in small sips. This portion is designed for a day.

Alveolitis treatment during pregnancy

Pregnant women should pay special attention to their health to prevent the development of alveolitis. This disease is dangerous for the health of the mother and child. In addition, it is extremely difficult to treat him. Many drugs that are used to combat various types of alveolitis are contraindicated in pregnant women, some of them cause vomiting, dizziness and other side effects.

If the disease could not be avoided, you should contact a highly qualified specialist. He will be able to prescribe treatment that is safe and effective for pregnant women, as well as assess the risk of damage to the fetus and the threat to the health of the mother.

Prevention of alveolitis

Prevention of alveolitis involves compliance with the rules for working with toxic substances, elimination of irritants that cause an allergic reaction. It is necessary to regularly undergo examination by a pulmonologist and a rheumatologist. Prevention of alveolitis with drugs is not provided.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.