Pneumonitis

Pneumonitis or pulmonitis is an inflammation of lung tissue.^[1][2] Many factors can cause pneumonitis, including breathing in animal dander, aspiration (inhaling small food particles or vomit "down the wrong pipe"), and receiving radiation therapy to the chest.^[3]

Pneumonitis was listed as the one of the top 15 leading causes of death (at number 15) in the United States as of 2010, overtaking homicide, which dropped off the list. This was due to a number of factors, including an increase in the population of people over 75, for whom pneumonitis is a common cause of death.^[4]

Pneumonia is pneumonitis combined with consolidation and exudation due to infection.^[5]

Classification

It can be classified into acute interstitial pneumonitis, blood pneumonitis, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis, radiation pneumonitis, and uremic pneumonitis.^[2]

Causes

Pneumonitis.

• Viral infection. As one example, measles can cause severe pneumonitis, and ribavirin has been proposed as a possible treatment.
• Pneumonia
• Radiation therapy
• Inhaling chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide^[6]
• Sepsis
• Adverse reaction to medications
• Hypersensitivity to inhaled agents^[7]
• Inhalation of spores of some species of mushroom (bronchoalveolar allergic syndrome)^[8]
• Mercury exposure
• Smoking
• Overexposure to chlorine
• Bronchial obstruction (obstructive pneumonitis or post-obstructive pneumonitis)

See also

• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, also known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA)

References