The Lung Flashcards
Mention 7 developmental defects of the lung.
- Agenesis or hypoplasia of both lungs, one lung, or single lobes.
- Tracheal and bronchial anomalies (atresia, stenosis, tracheoesophageal fistula)
- Vascular anomalies
- Congenital lobar overinflation (emphysema)
- Foregut cysts
- Congenital pulmonary airway malformation
- Pulmonary sequestrations
What happens in pulmonary hypoplasia?
Defective development of both lungs (one may be more affected) resulting in decrease weight, volume and acini disproportional to the body weight and gestational age.
Variety of causes : e.g. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia - oligohydramnions.
What happens in foregut cysts?
Abnormal detachment of primitive foregut. Most often located in the hilum or middle mediastinum.
They can be bronchogenic (most common), esophageal and enteric.
Surgery resection is curative.
What happens in pulmonary sequestration?
Presence of discrete mass of lung tissue without normal connection to the airway system.
They can be extralobar or intralobar.
Blood supply arises from the aorta or its branches.
What happens to neonatal atelectasis?
Incomplete expansion of the lungs or collapse of previously inflated lungs, producing areas of relatively airless pulmonary parenchyma.
How is acquired atelectasis divided?
- Resorption (or obstruction) atelectasis
- Compression atelectasis
- Contraction atelectasis
What happens in resorption atelectasis?
Complete obstruction of an airway, which in time leads to resorption of the oxygen trapped in the dependent alveoli.
The mediastinum shifts towards the atelectatic lung.
Caused mainly by mucus plugs, exudate within smaller bronchi.
What happens in compression atelectasis?
The pleural cavity is partially or completely filled by fluid exudate, tumor, blood or air (pneumothorax).
The mediastinum shifts away from the affected lung.
What happens in contraction atelectasis?
Local or generalized fibrotic changes in the lung or pleura prevent full expansion.
Is atelectasis reversible?
Yes, except that caused by contraction.
What are the two principal causes of pulmonary edema?
- From hemodynamic disturbances (hemodynamic/ cardiogenic edema).
- Direct increases in capillary permeability as a result of microvascular injury.
What happens in hemodynamic pulmonary edema?
- Increased hemodynamic pressure (as in left-side congestive heart failure).
- Heavy, wet lungs.
- Initially, fluid accumulates in the lower lobes.
- Histologically : the alveolar capillaries are engorged - intra alveolar granular pink precipitate is seen.
- Presence of hemosiderin-laden macrophages.
What happens in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)?
The integrity of microvascular endothelium and alveolar epithelium is compromised by injury of one or both (more common).
What markers in the serum can be detected in ARDS that count for endothelial injury?
- Endothelin
2. vWF
What shows epithelial injury in ARDS ?
- Swelling
- Vacuolization
- Bleb formation
- Frank necrosis
What are the acute consequences of damage to the alveolar capillary membrane in ARDS ?
- Increased vascular permeability
- Alveolar flooding
- Loss of diffusion capacity
- Widespread surfactant abnormalities (damage of type II pneumocytes).
How hyaline membranes are formed in the ARDS / ALI ?
Inspissation of protein rich edema fluid that entraps debris of dead alveolar epithelial cells.
What is the principal cause of ARDS ?
An imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators.
What mediator is thought to shift the balance towards inflammation in the ARDS ?
NF-kB
How are neutrophils sequestered in the lung in ARDS ?
- Cytokines like IL-8 and TNF, that upregulate adhesion molecules.
- Activated neutrophils become stiff and less deformable and thus get trapped in the narrow capillary beds of the lung.
What are the principal symptoms of ALI?
- Dyspnea and tachypnea
- Increasing cyanosis and hypoxemia
- Respiratory failure
- Diffuse bilateral infiltrates
Are the functional abnormalities in ALI evenly distributed throughout the lungs?
No, there are areas that are infiltrated, consolidated, or collapsed and regions that have nearly normal levels of compliance and ventilation.
What happens in acute interstitial pneumonia?
- Widespread ALI with a rapidly progressive clinical course of unknown etiology.
- Uncommon disease
- Mean age 50 with no sex predilection
- Mortality : 33-74% within 1-2 months.
What is the classification of chronic noninfectious diffuse pulmonary diseases?
- Obstructive (or airway) diseases : increase in resistance to airflow due to partial or complete obstruction.
- Restrictive diseases : reduced expansion of the lung parenchyma and decrease total lung capacity.
Under what conditions occur restrictive diseases?
- Chest wall disorders (neuromuscular diseases such as poliomyelitis, severe obesity, kyphoscoliosis)
- Chronic interstitial and infiltrative diseases (pneumoconioses, interstitial fibrosis of unknown etiology)
What are the 4 major obstructive pulmonary diseases?
- Emphysema
- Chronic bronchitis
- Asthma
- Bronchiectasis
To what diseases is COPD refer to?
- Emphysema
2. Chronic bronchitis
What is the main cause of COPD ?
Long term heavy cigarette smoking - 10% are nonsmokers.
What happens in emphysema?
Irreversible enlargement of the air spaces distal to the terminal bronchiole, accompanied by destruction of the walls without obvious fibrosis.
What is the incidence of emphysema?
4th leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA.
Women and African Americans are more susceptible than other groups.
What are the types of emphysema?
- Centriacinar (95% of cases)
- Panacinar (almost the rest of cases)
- Paraseptal
- Irregular
What happens in centriacinar (centrilobular) emphysema?
The central or proximal parts of the acini, formed by respiratory bronchioles, are affected, whereas distal alveoli are spared.
Where is centriacinar emphysema most commonly found?
In the upper lobes, particularly in the apical segments.
What happens in panacinar emphysema?
The acini are uniformly enlarged from the level of the respiratory bronchiole to the terminal blind alveoli.
Where panacinar emphysema occur more commonly?
In the lower zones and in the anterior margins of the lung, and it is usually most severe at the bases.
What type of emphysema is associated with α1-anti trypsin?
Panacinar emphysema
What happens in distal acinar (paraseptal) emphysema?
The proximal portion of the acinus is normal, and the distal part is predominantly involved.
What happens in irregular emphysema (airspace enlargement with fibrosis)?
The acinus is irregularly involved, is almost invariably associated with scarring.
What is the pathogenesis of emphysema ?
The most plausible hypothesis to account for the destruction of alveolar walls is the protease-antiprotease mechanism, aided and abetted by imbalance of oxidants and anti oxidants.
Describe briefly the “picture” of emphysema.
- Mild chronic inflammation throughout the airways, parenchyma and pulmonary vasculature.
- Macrophages, CD8/4+ T lymphocytes and neutrophils in various parts of the lung.
- LTB4, IL-8 , TNF and other mediators.
In what evidence is the protease-antiprotease imbalance hypothesis based on?
The observation that patients with α1-AT deficiency have a markedly enhanced tendency to develop pulmonary emphysema (which is compounded by smoking).
What is the role of the α1-AT and where is its gene mapped?
Inhibitor of proteases, especially elastase which is secreted by neutrophils.
In the Pi locus (proteinase inhibitor locus) on chromosome 14.
What is the incidence of α1-ΑΤ deficiency (homozygous for the Z allele)?
0.012% (USA)
Describe briefly the sequence of events in a patient with α1-ΑΤ deficiency, that lead to emphysema.
- Neutrophils (principal source of cellular proteases) are normally sequestered in the peripheral capillaries and a few gain access to the alveolar spaces.
- Any stimulus that increases the number of leukocytes in the lung or the release of their protease-containing granules increases proteolytic activity.
- With low levels of α-ΑΤ, elastic tissue destruction is unchecked and emphysema results.
How the protease-antiprotease imbalance hypothesis explain the effect of smoking in the development of emphysema?
- In smokers, neutrophils and macrophages accumulate in alveoli.
- Accumulated neutrophils are activated and release their granules, rich in a variety of cellular proteases (elastase, proteinase 3 and cathepsin G) resulting in tissue damage.
- Smoking also enhances elastase activity in macrophages (which is not inhibited by α1-ΑΤ).
Besides loss of elastic recoil, what other mechanisms are responsible for the obstruction of airflow in emphysema?
- Goblet cell metaplasia with mucus plugging of the lumen.
- Inflammatory infiltration of the walls with neutrophils, macrophages, B cells , CD4/8 + T cells.
- Smooth muscle hypertrophy and peribronchial fibrosis.
What are the morphological changes of advanced emphysema?
- Voluminous lungs, often overlapping the heart.
- The upper 2/3 of the lungs are more severely affected.
- Microscopically, there are abnormally large alveoli separated by thin septa with only focal centriacinar fibrosis.
- Loss of attachment of the alveoli to the outer wall of small airways.
- Enlargement of the pores of Kohn.
- As alveolar walls are destroyed, there is a decrease in the capillary bed.
When do the clinical manifestations of emphysema firstly appear?
Until at least one third of the functioning pulmonary parenchyma is damaged.
What are the major symptoms of emphysema?
- Dyspnea
- Cough or wheezing
- Weight loss (severe)
- Barrel-chested patient + Prolonged expiration, in a hunched over position p, breathing through pursed lips.
What are the main causes of death in patients with emphysema?
- Respiratory acidosis and coma
- Right-sided heart failure
- Massive collapse of the lungs secondary to pneumothorax.
Mention 4 other types of emphysema.
- Compensatory hyperinflation (emphysema)
- Obstructive overinflation
- Bullous emphysema
- Interstitial emphysema
What is the clinical definition of chronic bronchitis?
Persistent cough with sputum production for at least 3 months and in at least 2 consecutive yeas, in the absence of any other identifiable cause.
When persistent from years, how can chronic bronchitis progress?
- To COPD
- To cor pulmonale and heart failure
- Atypical metaplasia and dysplasia of the respiratory epithelium, providing a rich soil for cancerous malformation.
What is the primary factor in the genesis of chronic bronchitis?
Inhaled substances such as tobacco smoke (90% of patients are smokers), dust from grain, cotton and silica.
What is the earliest feature of chronic bronchitis?
Hypersecretion of mucus in the large airways, associated with hypertrophy of the submucosal glands.
What happens as chronic bronchitis persist?
A marked increase in goblet cells of small airways - small bronchi and bronchioles - leading to excessive mucus production that contributes to airway obstruction.
What is the role of infection in chronic bronchitis?
Secondary. Not responsible for the initiation of chronic bronchitis, but significant in maintaining it.
What are the morphological features of chronic bronchitis?
- Hyperemia, swelling and edema of the mucous membranes, accompanied by excessive mucous secretions.
- Chronic inflammation of the airways.
- Enlargement of the submucosal glands.
- Increased Reid index.
- Metaplasia of bronchial epithelium - squamous + dysplasia
What happens principally in asthma?
Chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest-tightness, and cough, particularly at night and/or in the early morning.
What are the hallmarks of asthma?
- Increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli - resulting in episodic bronchoconstriction.
- Inflammation of the bronchial walls.
- Increased mucus secretion.
What are the two major types of asthma?
- Atopic
2. Non-atopic
What happens in atopic asthma?
- Most common type of asthma.
- IgE-mediated hypersensitivity type I reaction.
- Begins in childhood by environmental factors.
- Common positive family history of asthma.
What happens in non atopic asthma?
- No evidence of allergen sensitization.
- Skin test results are negative.
- Less common positive family history.
- Common triggers are respiratory infections due to viruses.
- Virus-induced inflammation of the respiratory mucosa lowers the threshold of the subepithelial vagal receptors to irritants.
What happens in drug-induced asthma?
- Small doses of aspirin can trigger asthmatic attacks.
- Also urticaria.
- Aspirin inhibits the COX pathway, but does not affect the Lipoxygenase route - LTs are bronchoconstrictors.
How is occupational asthma stimulated?
- Fumes (epoxy resins, plastics).
- Organic and chemical dusts (wood, cotton, platinum).
- Gases (toluene).
- Other chemicals (formaldehyde, penicillin products).
What are the major etiologic factors in atopic asthma?
- Genetic predisposition to type I hypersensitivity (“atopy”).
- Exposure to environmental triggers (poorly defined).
What cytokines are secreted by T2H cells and what is their roles?
- IL-4 : production of IgE.
- IL-5 : activation of locally recruited eosinophils.
- IL-13 : Mucus secretion + IgE production from B cells.
What happens in the early phase reactions (immediate hypersensitivity)?
- Bronchoconstriction
- Increased mucus production
- Variable degrees of vasodilation - IVP.
What happens in the late phase reaction?
- Inflammation - eosinophils, neutrophils and more T cells.
2. Many mediators - e.g. Eotaxin.
What are the “suspects” in acute asthma?
- LTC4, D4, E4
- Ach
- Histamine
- PGD2
- PAF
- IL-1, TNF, IL-6, Eotaxin
- Neuropeptides
- NO, Bradykinin and endothelins
What happens in airway remodeling?
- Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of bronchial smooth muscle.
- Epithelial injury.
- Increased airway vascularity.
- Increased subepithelial mucus gland hypertrophy/hyperplasia.
- Deposition of subepithelial collagen.
How many genes have been reported to associate with asthma?
More than 100
Mention briefly the genetic components of asthma.
- Chromosome 5q, near the gene encoding IL-3-4-5-9-13 and the IL-4 receptor + CD14 receptor.
- Class II HLA alleles.
- ADAM-33
- β2-adrenergic receptor gene.
- Mammalian chitinase family : YKL-40
What are the morphological features of asthma?
- Macroscopically : occlusion of the bronchi and bronchioles by thick, tenacious, mucus plugs.
- Histologically : the plugs contain Curschmann spirals.
- Charcot-Leyden crystals : crystalloid made up from eosinophil lysophospholipase binding protein called galectin-10.
- Airway remodeling.
What happens in bronciectasis?
Permanent dilation of the bronchi and bronchioles caused by destruction of the muscle and elastic tissue, resulting from or associated with chronic necrotizing infections.
Bronchiectasis develops in association with a variety of conditions. Mention some of them.
- Congenital or hereditary conditions : cystic fibrosis, intralobar sequestration of the lung, immunodeficiency states, primary ciliary dyskinesia and Kartagener syndromes.
- Post infectious conditions.
- Bronchial obstruction
- Other conditions (SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease).
What are the two major conditions associated with bronchiectasis?
Obstruction and Infection
What are the morphological features of bronchiectasis?
- Affects the lower lobes, bilaterally, vertical air passages.
- The airways are dilated up to 4 times normal.
- In full blown active case : intense acute and chronic inflammatory exudation + desquamation of the epithelium + areas of necrotizing ulceration.
- Fibrosis in chronic conditions.
What are the major symptoms of bronchiectasis?
- Severe, persistent cough.
- Expectoration of foul-smelling
- Sometimes bloody sputum
- In severe cases, dyspnea and orthopnea
- Occasionally, life-threatening hemoptysis
What happens in chronic interstitial diseases?
Heterogenous group of disorders.
Inflammation and fibrosis of the pulmonary connective tissue, principally in the most peripheral and delicate intestitium in the alveolar wall.
What is the current concept for the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)?
- Repeated cycles of epithelial injury/activation by some unidentified agent.
- Abnormal epithelial repair gives rise to exuberant fibroblastic/myofibroblastic proliferation.
Who is the driver of the process in IPF?
TGF-β1 - released from injured type I alveolar epithelial cells.
What are the morphological features of IPF?
- Fibrosis of the lung parenchyma - lower lobe predominance - distinctive distribution in the subpleural regions and along the interlobular septa.
- Patchy interstitial fibrosis
- Fibroblastic foci
- Honeycomb fibrosis - destruction of alveolar architecture and formation of cystic spaces lined by hyperplastic type II pneumocytes or bronchiolar epithelium.
- Mild to moderate inflammation within the fibrotic areas.
- Foci of squamous metaplasia and smooth muscle hyperplasia may be present.
What is the clinical course of IPF?
- Begins insidiously with gradually increasing dyspnea on exertion.
- Dry cough
- 40-70 age of presentation
- Hypoxemia - cyanosis
- Unpredictable progress
- Mean survival 3 years or less
- Lung transplantation the only current solution
Where is a better prognosis? In patients with IPF or in patients with Non specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)?
NSIP
What are the morphological features of NSIP?
- Cellular patterns : mild/moderate chronic inflammation
- Fibrosing patterns : diffuse or patchy interstitial fibrosis without the temporal heterogeneity of UIP.
- Fibroblastic foci and honeycombing are absent.
What is the clinical course of NSIP?
- Patients present with dyspnea and cough - several months.
- Typically between age 46-55.
- Patients with cellular pattern (younger) have a better outcome than those with fibrosing pattern.
What are the symptoms and signs of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia?
- Dyspnea and cough
- Subpleural/peribronchial patchy areas of airspace consolidation.
- Masson bodies : loose organizing connective tissue polypoid plugs.
- No interstitial fibrosis + No honeycomb lung.
What is the progress of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia?
- Some recover spontaneously.
2. Most need steroids for 6 months or longer for complete recovery.
Mention 3 diseases that usually have pulmonary involvement.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)
- SLE
What happens in Pneumoconioses?
Non-neoplastic lung reaction to inhalation of mineral dusts encountered in the workplace + organic - inorganic particulates + chemical fumes and vapors.
On what depends the pathogenesis of pneumoconioses?
- The amount of dust retained in the lungs.
- The size, the shape and therefore buoyancy of the particles.
- Particle solubility and physiochemical reactivity.
- The possible additional effects of other irritants (e.g. Concommitant tobacco smoking).
What is the size of the most dangerous particles that can accumulate in the lungs?
1-5μm because they may reach the terminal small airways and air sacs and settle in their linings.
What covers the spectrum of lung findings in coal workers?
- Asymptomatic anthracosis
- Simple CWP with little or no pulmonary dysfunction.
- Complicated CWP, or progressive massive fibrosis.
What are the features of anthracosis?
- Most innocuous pulmonary lesion in coal miners.
- Inhaled carbon pigment is engulfed by alveolar/interstitial macrophages which then accumulate in the connective tissue along the lymphatics or in organized lymphoid tissue along the bronchi - lung hilus.
What are the characteristics of simple CWP?
- Coal macules (1-2mm) + coal nodules (larger).
- Coal macules : carbon-laden macrophages.
- Coal nodules : also contain collagen fibers.
- Upper lobes and upper zones of lower lobes more heavily involved.
- Centrilobular emphysema occurs sometimes.
What are the features of complicated CWP?
- Requires years to develop.
- Intensely black scars 2-10cm.
- Lesions consisting of dense collagen and pigment.
What is silicosis?
A lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silicon dioxide (silica).
What is currently the most prevalent chronic occupational disease in the world?
Silicosis
What are the pathogenetic features of silicosis?
- Quartz is most commonly implicated in silicosis.
- After inhalation the particles interact with epithelial cells + macrophages.
- Silica causes activation + release of mediators by the macrophages.
What are the morphological features of silicosis?
- Tiny, barely palpable, discrete pale to blackened nodules in the upper zones of the lung.
- Nodules may coalesce into hard, collagenous scars.
- Fibrotic lesions in the hilar lymph nodes and pleura.
- Eggshell calcification in the lymph nodes.
- May produce progressive massive fibrosis (PMF).
- Nodular lesions : concentric layers of hyalinized collagen surrounded by a dense capsule of more condensed collagen.
What is the clinical course of silicosis?
- No shortness of breath until late in course.
- Impaired pulmonary function, but slow to kill.
- Increased susceptibility for tuberculosis.
- Relationship with lung cancer is controversial.
What are the disorders that occupational exposure to asbestos is linked to?
- Localized fibrous plaques - rarely diffuse pleural fibrosis.
- Pleural effusions
- Parenchymal interstitial fibrosis (asbestosis)
- Lung carcinoma
- Mesothelioma
- Laryngeal + other extrapulmonary carcinomas (colon carcinoma)
What characteristics of asbestos dictate whether it causes disease?
- Size
- Shape
- Solubility
- Concentration
What are the two forms of asbestos?
Serpentine (widely used) and amphibole (more pathogenic, especially in mesotheliomas).
What are the oncogenic effects of asbestos?
Asbestos can act as a tumor initiator and promoter.
What is asbestos’ relationship with tobacco smoke?
There is synergy between tobacco smoke and development of lung carcinoma in asbestos workers (55-fold increased risk)!
Asbestosis is marked by diffuse pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, which is indistinguishable from diffuse interstitial fibrosis resulting from other causes. What can lead us to diagnose asbestosis?
The presence of asbestos bodies.
What are the asbestos bodies?
Golden brown, fusiform or beaded rods with a translucent center and consisting of asbestos fibers coated with an iron containing proteinaceous material.
How is asbestosis begins?
As fibrosis around respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts, extending to involve adjacent alveolar sacs and alveoli.
What part of the lung is firstly affected by asbestosis (in contrast to CWP and silicosis)?
The lower lobes and subpleurally.
What is the most common manifestation of asbestos?
Pleural plaques : well circumscribed plaques of dense collagen containing calcium.
Anterior and posterolateral aspects of the parietal pleura and over the domes of the diaphragm.
Is there a correlation between the size and the number of pleural plaques and the exposure to asbestos?
No, they do not correlate neither with the time of exposure nor with the level of exposure.
What is the relationship of asbestosis with lung cancer?
Both lung carcinomas and mesotheliomas (pleural and peritoneal) develop in workers exposed to asbestos.
What are the signs and symptoms of asbestosis?
- Dyspnea
- Cough with sputum
- It takes at least 10-20 years for the manifestations to occur.
- Honeycomb pattern develops.
- May remain static or progress to respiratory failure, cor pulmonale, and death.
- Pleural plaques are asymptomatic.
- Complication with cancer offers a grim prognosis.
Mention 6 examples of drug induced pulmonary disease.
- Bleomycin - pneumonitis and fibrosis
- Methotrexate - hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- Amiodarone - pneumonitis and fibrosis
- Nitrofurantoin - hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- Aspirin - bronchospasm
- β-antagonists - bronchospasm
What is sarcoidosis?
A systemic disease of unknown cause characterized by noncaseating granulomas in many tissues and organs.
What are the most common clinical findings?
- Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy or lung involvement in 90% of cases.
- Eye and skin lesions.
Although the etiology of sarcoidosis remains unknown, what the lines of evidence suggest?
A disease of disordered immune regulation in genetically predisposed individuals exposed to certain environmental agents.
What are the immunological abnormalities of sarcoid granulomas?
- Intra-alveolar and interstitial accumulation of CD4+ T cells, resulting in CD4/CD8 T cell ratios ranging from 5:1 to 15:1.
- Increased levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ (TH1 cytokines) resulting in T cell expansion and macrophage activation respectively.
- Increased levels of IL-8, TNF, MIP-1α that favor recruitment of T cells and monocytes and contribute to the formation of granulomas.
What are the systemic immunological abnormalities in individuals with sarcoidosis?
- Anergy to common skin test antigens.
2. Polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia - another manifestation of helper T cell dysregulation.
What are the genetic factors for sarcoidosis?
- Familial and racial clustering of cases.
2. The association with certain types of HLA genotypes.
What are the environmental factors for sarcoidosis?
- The most tenuous of all associations in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.
- Suspicion falls on putative microbes (e.g. rickettsia)
What are the general morphological features of sarcoidosis?
- Classic non caseating granulomas.
- Aggregation of epithelioid cells, often with Langhans or foreign body-type giant cells.
- Central necrosis is unusual.
- Hyaline fibrous scars (with chronicity)
- Schaumann bodies (calcium and proteins)
- Asteroid bodies (stellate inclusions enclosed within giant cells - 60% of cases)
Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease. Mention the principal organs that are affected.
- Lungs (common site).
- Lymph nodes (in almost all cases) - hilar and mediastinal but any other may be involved - enlarged, discrete and sometimes calcified.
- Spleen (microscopically affected in 75% but enlargement occurs only in 20%).
- Liver (slightly less often than the spleen).
- Bone marrow (20%)
- Skin lesions (33-50%)
- The eye and associated glands + salivary glands (20-50%)
- Muscle involvement (usually asymptomatic)
What is hypersensitivity pneumonia?
A spectrum of immunologically mediated, predominantly interstitial, lung disorders caused by intense, often prolonged exposure to inhaled organic antigens.
In contrast with asthma, involves primarily the alveoli.
How farmer’s lung occur?
From exposure to dust generated by harvested, humid, warm hay - permits the rapid proliferation of the spores of thermophilic actinomycetes.
How is Pigeon breeder’s lung occur?
Provoked by proteins of serum, excreta, or feathers of birds.
How is humidifier or air-conditioner lung occur?
Caused by thermophilic bacteria in heated water reservoirs.
What are the lines of evidence that suggest that hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an immunologically mediated disease?
- Increased levels of MIP-1α and IL-8 in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens.
- Also increased CD4/8 T cells.
- Most patients have specific antibodies - suggestive of type III hypersensitivity.
- Complement and immunoglobulins within the vessel walls- indicating type III hypersensitivity.
- Presence of non caseating granulomas in 66% suggests T cell mediated (type IV) delayed type hypersensitivity against the implicated antigen.
What are the morphological features of hypersensitivity pneumonitis?
Histologic changes are centered on bronchioles.
- Interstitial pneumonitis consisting primarily of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages.
- Non caseating granulomas in 66%.
- Interstitial fibrosis, honeycombing, and obliterative bronchiolitis (late stages).
- In more than half, there is intra alveolar infiltrate.
What are the clinical features of hypersensitivity pneumonitis?
Following the inhalation of antigenic dust :
- Recurring episodes of fever.
- Dyspnea
- Cough
- Leukocytosis
- Symptoms appear 4-6 hours after exposure.
- In continuous exposure - progressive respiratory failure, dyspnea and cyanosis, decrease in total lung capacity and compliance.
In what categories is pulmonary eosinophilia divided into?
- Acute eosinophilic pneumonia with respiratory failure.
- Simple pulmonary eosinophilia (Löffler syndrome).
- Tropical eosinophilia, caused by infection with microfilarie
- Secondary eosinophilia
- Idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia
What happens in acute eosinophilic pneumonia?
- Unknown cause
- Rapid onset with fever
- Dyspnea
- Hypoxemic respiratory failure
- Diffuse infiltrates
What happens in simple pulmonary eosinophilia?
- Transient pulmonary lesions
- Eosinophilia in the blood
- Benign clinical course
- Thickening of alveolar septa by an infiltrate composed of eosinophils and occasional interspersed giant cells - no necrosis + vasculitis + fibrosis.
What happens in chronic eosinophilic pneumonia?
- Focal areas of cellular consolidation of the lung substance in the periphery of the lung fields.
- Heavy aggregates of lymphocytes and eosinophils within both the septal walls and the alveolar spaces.
- High fever
- Night sweats
- Dyspnea
What are the morphological features of desquamative interstitial pneumonia?
- Accumulation of large number of macrophages with abundant cytoplasm containing dusty brown pigment (smokers’ macrophages).
- Finely granular iron may be seen into the cytoplasm.
- Some may contain lamellar bodies (composed of surfactant).
- Thickened alveolar septa - inflammatory filtrate.
- Mild interstitial fibrosis.
- Emphysema is often present.
In what patients is pulmonary embolism as common complication?
- With cardiac disease
- Cancer
- Immobilization for several weeks (high risk those with hip fracture).
- Hypercoagulable states (primary or secondary)
What are the two main pathophysiologic consequences of pulmonary embolism?
- Respiratory compromise due to the non perfumed, though ventilated segment.
- Hemodynamic compromise due to increased resistance.
What percentage of the emboli can actually cause infarction?
10%
How can the pulmonary embolus be distinguished from a post mortem clot?
By the lines of Zahn.
What are the morphological features of the pulmonary infarct?
- Hemorrhagic
- Red-blue area in the early stages.
- Fibrinous exudate in the pleural surface.
- 48h - lysis of RBCS - paler, red-brown as hemosiderin produced.
- Fibrous replacement with time - gray-white peripheral zone.
What is histologically the diagnostic feature of acute pulmonary infarction?
Ischemic necrosis of the lung substance within the area of hemorrhage, affecting the alveolar walls, bronchioles and vessels.
What are the symptoms of a patient that has survived pulmonary embolism?
If it was a sizable embolus :
- Severe chest pain
- Dyspnea
- Shock
- Fever
- Increased lactate dehydrogenase
How is the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism made?
With spiral computed tomographic angiography.
When it is said that pulmonary hypertension has occured?
- When mean pulmonary pressure reaches 1/4 of systemic levels.
What is the clinical classification of PH ?
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension
- PH with left heart disease
- PH associated with lung diseases and/or hypoxia
- PH due to chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease
- Miscellaneous PH
With what conditions is PH often associated with?
- Chronic obstructive of interstitial lung diseases
- Antecedent congenital or acquired heart disease
- Recurrent thromboemboli
- Connective tissue diseases
- Obstructive sleep apnea
What are the uncommon types of PH?
- Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
2. Familial pulmonary arterial hypertension (AD - incomplete penetrance
How is familial PH caused?
By mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) - TGF-β superfamily.
Is only BMPR2 mutation enough to occur PH?
No, it requires modifiers genes + environmental triggers (two-hit model) to occur PH.
What is the common morphological feature of all forms of PH ?
Medial hypertrophy of muscular and elastic arteries + atheromas of pulmonary artery + right ventricular hypertrophy.
When the signs and symptoms of the PH become evident?
Only with advanced disease.
What are the presenting features in cases of idiopathic PH ?
- Dyspnea
- Fatigue
- Some patients with chest pain of anginal type.
What are the pulmonary hemorrhage syndromes?
- Goodpasture syndrome
- Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis
- Vasculitis-associated hemorrhage (in conditions such as hypersensitivity angiitis, wegener granulomatosis, SLE)
What happens in Goodpasture syndrome?
Uncommon autoimmune disease in which kidney and lung injury are caused by circulating antibodies against the noncollagenous domain of tha α3 chain of collagen IV.
What are the morphological features of Goodpasture syndrome?
- Heavy lungs with red-brown consolidation.
- Focal necrosis of alveolar walls associated with intra-alveolar hemorrhages.
- Hemosiderin-laden macrophages
- In the kidneys - focal proliferative glomerulonephritis.
What are the clinical features of Goodpasture syndrome?
- Begin with respiratory symptoms and hemoptysis.
- Rapidly progressive renal failure - glomerulonephritis.
- Death by uremia (common)
- Improvement by intensive plasmapheresis.
What are the factors that can interfere with the local defense mechanisms of the lung?
- Loss or suppression of the cough reflex
- Injury to the mucociliary apparatus
- Accumulation of secretions
- Interference with the phagocytic/bactericidal action of alveolar macrophages.
- Pulmonary congestion / edema
Mention three important point in pulmonary infections that are usually forgotten.
- One pneumonia sometimes predisposes to another (especially in debilitated patients).
- Although the portal is the respiratory tract, hematogenous spread can occur.
- Many patients (chronic diseases) acquire terminal pneumonia so while hospitalized (nosocomial infection).
What bacteria/viruses can cause community-acquired acute pneumonia?
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenza
- Moraxella catarrhalis
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Legionella pneumophila
- Enterobacteriaceae (Klebsiella pneumoniae)
- Pseudomonas spp.
What is the most common cause of community-acquired acute pneumonia ?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
In what forms is haemophilus influenza presented?
- Encapsulated (5%)
2. Unencapsulated (95%)
What antibodies are degraded by H. influenza?
IgA - major in the airways.
How H. influenza prevents opsonization?
With the presence of the capsule.
With what consequences is staphylococcus aureus (pneumonia) associated with?
- Lung abscess
- Empyema
- Endocarditis (for intravenous drug users)
What is the most frequent cause of gram-negative bacterial pneumonia?
Klebsiella pneumoniae
What are the two patterns of anatomic distribution in bacterial pneumonia?
- Lobular bronchopneumonia
2. Lobar pneumonia
What are the four stages of lobar pneumonia?
- Congestion
- Red hepatization
- Gray hepatization
- Resolution
What are the major complications of pneumonia?
- Abscess formation
- Empyema - spread of infection in the pleural cavity, causing the intrapleural fibrinosuppurative reaction known as Empyema.
- Bacteremic dissemination - heart valves, pericardium, brain, spleen, kidneys etc.
What are the major symptoms of community-acquired acute pneumonia?
- Abrupt onset of high fever
- Shaking chills
- Cough productive of mucopurulent sputum (occasional hemoptysis)
- When fibrinosuppurative pleuritis - pleuritic pain and pleural friction rub.
What is the most common agent that causes community acquired atypical pneumonias?
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
What is the common pathogenetic mechanism in community-acquired atypical pneumonias?
Attachment of the organisms to the upper respiratory tract epithelium followed by necrosis and inflammation.
What are the morphological patterns that all causal agents produce in community-acquired atypical pneumonias?
- Lung involvement - patchy of whole lobes bilaterally/unilaterally.
- Red blue congested affected areas.
- Smooth pleura
- Predominant - interstitial nature of inflammation - within the alveolar walls.
What are the main morphological features of viral upper respiratory tract infections (community acquired atypical pneumonias)?
- Mucosal hyperemia
- Swelling with a predominantly lymphomonocytic and plasmacytic infiltration of the submucosal accompanied by overproduction of mucus secretions.
What are the presenting symptoms of SARS?
After 2-10 days :
- Dry cough
- Malaise
- Myalgias
- Fever
- Chills