Hypersensitivity pneumonitis - Treatment
Alternative Names
Extrinsic allergic alveolitis; Farmer's lung; Mushroom picker's disease; Humidifier or air-conditioner lung; Bird breeder's lung
Treatment:
First, the foreign substance must be identified. Treatment involves avoiding this substance in the future. Some people may need to change jobs if they can not avoid the substance at work.
If you have a chronic form of this disease, your doctor will give you glucocorticoids (power anti-inflammatory medicines).
Expectations (prognosis):
Most symptoms go away when you avoid or limit your exposure to the material that caused the problem.
Complications:
The chronic form of this disease may lead to pulmonary fibrosis (a scarring of the lung tissue that is often not reversible).
Calling your health care provider:
Call your health care provider if symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis develop.
- Reviewed last on: 3/16/2007
- David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
References
Hoppin JA, Umbach DM, Kullman GJ, et al. Pesticides and other Agricultural Factors Associated with Self-reported Farmer's lung among Farm Residents in the Agricultural Health Study. Occup Environ Med. 2006 Dec 20;[Epub ahead of print].
Lacasse Y, Cormier Y. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2006 Jul 3;1:25.
