Diffuse Infiltrative Pulmonary Diseases

The abnormal accumulation of inflamed cells within the lung's interstitial spaces results to diffuse infiltrative pulmonary diseases. This condition involves a number of diseases that infiltrate the lungs, resulting in collective respiratory symptoms.

Significance

• According to Medcyclopaedia.com, the condition has an estimated yearly incidence of between 25 and 30 for every 100,000 individuals. It also accounts to 15 percent of referrals for pulmonary evaluation.

Features

• Infiltrative diseases of the lungs involve a pathological condition that could affect the gas exchange within the lung's air sacs or interstitial spaces. Fibrosis, inflammatory reactions within the cells, and tissue abnormalities within the lungs may result in reversible or irreversible damage.

Identification

• Infiltrative diseases can induce breathing difficulty.

  The Merck Manual identifies a number of pulmonary symptoms such as cough, breathing difficulty, kidney failure, anemia, chest pain and coughing of blood. These symptoms may be drug-induced or due to inflammation of cells and hemorrhaging of the lung's alveolar sacs.

Types

• The most common types of diffuse infiltrative pulmonary diseases are hypersensitive pneumonitis, pneumonitis from toxic exposure, drug-induced lung toxicity, acute interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and acute eosinophilic pneumonia.

Diagnosis

• Radiographic imaging

  The International Journal of Thoracic Medicine emphasizes prompt diagnosis of the condition to reduce mortality using noninvasive techniques such as radiographic imaging. Invasive techniques such as the high-resolution CT scan have become an option among immunocompromised individuals to establish an immediate diagnosis when non-invasive approaches have failed. Treatment will depend on the pathological condition present and the manifestation of symptoms.