HistoPath - Respiratory disease Flashcards
Give examples of congenital lung disease
Lung agenesis or hypoplasia – LBW, impaired foetal respiratory movements
Tracheal and bronchial stenosis – associated with other malformations
Congenital cysts
Define asthma
widespread reversible narrowing of the airways (bronchi) that changes in severity over short periods of time
What are the causes/triggers of asthma
Recent RTI
Allergens/atopy
Pollution
Drugs (NSAIDs)
Occupational (gases)
Diet
Physical exertion
Intrinsic
Genetics
What is the pathogenesis of asthma
Immediate phase = mast cell degranulation → mediator release → increased vascular permeability → eosinophil + mast cell recruitment → bronchospasm
Late phase = tissue damage, increased mucous production, muscle hypertrophy
What are the histological features of asthma
Smooth muscle cell hyperplasia
Excess mucous → goblet cell hypertrophy
Inflammation
Whorls of shed epithelium (Cusrchmann spirals)
eosinophils
Charcot-Leyden crystals
Define Chronic bronchitis and what are the causes
Chronic bronchitis = type of COPD (other type = emphysema)
Dilatation of the airways (bronchi) and excess mucus production → Chronic cough productive of sputum; most days for ≥3 months over ≥2 consecutive years
Causes = smoking, air pollution, occupational exposures
What are the histological features of Chronic bronchitis
Dilatation of the airways
Goblet cell hyperplasia
Hypertrophy of mucous glands
What are the complications of COPD
Repeat infections
Chronic hypoxia
Reduced exercise tolerance, pulmonary HTN → RHF
Lung cancer risk
Define bronchiectasis and what are the histological features
Permanent abnormal dilatation of the terminal bronchi
Permanent fibrotic dilatation of the bronchi
What are the causes of bronchiectasis
Inflammatory
- Post-infectious
- Abnormal host defence (1º (hypogammaglobulinaemia) and 2º (chemotherapy, NG))
- Obstruction
- Post-inflammatory e.g. aspiration
- Secondary to bronchiolar disease and interstitial fibrosis (CFA, sarcoidosis)
- Systemic disease (connective tissue disorders)
- Asthma
Congenital
- Cystic fibrosis
- Primary ciliary dyskinesia (kartagener’s)
- Hypogammaglobulinaemia
- Young’s syndrome (rhinosinusitis, azoospermia and bronchiectasis)
What are the complications of bronchiectasis
Recurrent infections
Haemoptysis
Cor pulmonale
Amyloidosis
What is the cause of cystic fibrosis
Autosomal recessive
mutation in CFTR gene on Chr 7 (F508del) → defective Cl ion transfer → less water transfers to secretions → abnormally thick secretions
Allows growth of bacteria + frequent lung infections → bronchiectasis
What are the clinical features of cystic fibrosis
Lung → obstruction, recurrent infection → bronchiectasis → infection (pseudomonas, S. aureus, H. influenza, B. epacia)
Gi tract → meconium ileus, malabsorption
Pancreas → pancreatitis
Liver → cirrhosis
Male infertility
What is pulmonary oedema, its causes and its pathology
Parenchymal lung disease where fluid accumulation in alveolar spaces → poor gas exchange
Causes – LHF, alveolar injury, neurogenic, high altitude
- Intra-alveolar fluid on histology
- “Heart failure cells” = iron-laden macrophages
What is ARDS
Parenchymal disease of diffuse alveolar damage
Acute damage to endothelium ± alveolar epithelium leading to an exudative inflammatory reaction
What are the causes of ARDS in adults and neonates
Adults → acute respiratory distress syndrome / ARDS
- Infection
- Aspiration
- Trauma
- Inhaled irritant
- Shock
- Blood transfusion
- DIC
- Drug overdose
- Pancreatitis
Neonates = respiratory distress syndrome/ hyaline membrane disease of the newborn
- Insufficient surfactant in premature babies
What is the pathology of respiratory distress syndrome
Gross: fluffy white infiltrates in all lung fields, lungs expanded/firm, plum-coloured lungs, airless lungs, >1kg
Micro: capillary congestion, exudative phase, hyaline membranes, organising phase
What are the patterns of lung involvement in bacterial pneumonia
Bronchopneumonia
Lobar pneumonia
Abscess formation
Granulomatous inflammation
Describe the epidemiology, cause, and pathology of bronchopneumonia
Elderly
Low virulence organisms (staph, H. influenzae, strep, pneumococcus)
Pathology = patchy bronchial and peribronchial distribution, lower lobes, inflammation surrounding the airways themselves and is within the alveoli
What are the stages of lobar pneumonia
(1) Congestion: Hyperaemia, Intra-alveolar fluid
(2) Red hepatization: Hyperaemia, Intra-alveolar neutrophils (non-atypical)
(3) Grey hepatization: Intra-alveolar connective tissue
(4) Resolution: Restoration normal architecture
What are the causes and complications of lobar pneumonia
90-95% pneumococcus
Complications: abscess, pleuritis, effusion, empyema (infected effusion), fibrosis, sepsis
What are the features of atypical pneumonia
Mycoplasma, viruses (CMV, influenza), Coxiella, chlamydia, etc.
I.E. CMV pneumonia in those immunosuppressed
Interstitial inflammation without the accumulation of intra-alveolar inflammatory cells
Chronic inflammatory cells within alveolar septa with oedema ± viral infections
Define emphysema and what is the histology/pathology
Parenchymal type of COPD
permanent loss of alveolar parenchyma distal to terminal bronchiole
Pathology = Airspace enlargement, wall destruction