Interstitial and Occupational Lung Disease Flashcards
What is interstitial lung disease?
An umbrella term which encompasses many conditions which cause inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue
What are the main pathophysiological processes involved in interstitial lung disease?
Chronic inflammation, leading to fibrosis, and further inflammation that spreads towards the parenchyma
What do most ILDs share in common
Structural remodelling of the distal airspaces leading to impaired gas exchange
What are the causes of inflammation or tissue damage seen in ILD’s?
Autoimmune diseases
Foreign substance inhalation
Medicines
Radiation
occupational exposure
infection and partial recovery from diseases
What causes acute inflammatory responses in ILD
Injury by many causes disrupts epithelial and endothelial integrity.
What is the cause of chronic inflammation?
Persistent irritant exposure
What is the result of chronic inflammation?
Scaring and fibrosis leave the fibrotic tissue to be unable to expand thus leading to poor alveoli exposure
What is the result of poor alveoli exposure?
gas exchange distance becomes wider and inefficient, leading to poor gas exchange and the clinical issues presented in ILD.
What are the 7 known causes of ILD
Drug-induced
Smoking-related
Radiation-induced
Chronic aspiration
Pneumoconiosis
Connective tissue disease
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
What are the 3 idiopathic causes?
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia
Sarcoidosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
What is pneumoconiosis?
A group of chronic lung diseases caused by exposure to a mineral dust or a metal
What are the most common pneumoconiosis
Asbestosis, silicosis, coal workers pneumoconiosis and beryliosos
What is asbestosis?
Interstitial fibrosis caused by the inflammation that asbestos fibers trigger
What does the persistence of asbestos fibres in the lungs trigger?
The recruitment of fibroblasts that deposit collagen in the interstitial and surrounding tissues
What do macrophages do in response to asbestos fibres?
release reactive oxygen species which contribute to tissue injury
