Etiology Silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) are occupational lung diseases; silicosis is caused by continued exposure to excessive amounts of respirable silica, and CWP is caused by exposure to carbonaceous material (anthracosis). Respirable crystalline silicate and coal dust embed…
Etiology Asbestos is the general term given to a group of magnesium silicate minerals that have in common a tendency to separate into fibers. The fibers are resistant to heat and acid, thus the name asbestos, which is derived from…
Definition and Etiology Emphysema is defined as a “condition of the lung characterized by abnormal, permanent enlargement of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchiole, accompanied by destruction of their walls.” Because emphysema decreases the elastic recoil force that drives…
Bronchiolitis refers to a wide variety of inflammatory and fibrotic disease processes affecting the small airways. Bronchiolitis is common and may be the primary manifestation in various clinical settings (e.g., infections, connective tissue diseases (CTDs), inhalational injuries, cigarette smoking, drug…
Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by increased airway reactivity and by airflow obstruction that is at least partially reversible and results in recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, and cough. Etiology Asthma can be divided into two main categories: extrinsic…
Bronchiectasis Etiology Diseases of the airways are surprisingly common in clinical practice, and imaging tests have a central role in the evaluation of the patient. Bronchiectasis is an important yet, in historic terms, a surprisingly neglected disorder characterized pathologically by…
The wide variety of tracheal diseases includes both benign and malignant conditions that may manifest as tracheal masses, focal or diffuse tracheal thickening, or tracheal calcification. Tracheal tumors, inflammatory conditions involving the trachea, infections, and posttraumatic or iatrogenic injuries are…
Etiology Pulmonary edema is defined as an excess of fluid in the extravascular compartment of the lung and is classified into four categories based on pathophysiology: hydrostatic edema, permeability edema with diffuse alveolar damage, permeability edema without diffuse alveolar damage,…
Etiology Pulmonary edema is defined as an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the extravascular compartments (interstitial and airspace) of the lung. Traditionally, pulmonary edema has been divided into hydrostatic edema and permeability edema based on the presumed mechanism. Hydrostatic edema…
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is defined as a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of greater than 25 mm Hg at rest or 30 mm Hg with exercise, with an elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) greater than 3 Wood units. Although pulmonary pressures may…