Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a lung disease where your lungs have an allergic reaction and become inflamed. This inflammation can subside within a few days if you no longer breathe in the allergens, but if you breathe them in repeatedly, the inflammation in the lung continues to grow. This may cause some portions of the lung to develop scar tissue over time and give you difficulty when trying to breathe.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis can become a very serious condition for some whose lungs develop permanent scarring, which is also known as pulmonary fibrosis. Unfortunately, there is no greatly effective treatment or cure for chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. However, if it is caught early enough and allergen avoidance is employed, then the condition can potentially be entirely reversed.
There are more than three hundred known substances that can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis; some of the common causes are known as the following:
-Farmer’s lung (caused by breathing mold growing on hay/straw/grain)
-Bird fancier’s lung or pigeon breeder’s disease (caused by breathing particles from birds’ feathers/droppings)
-Humidifier lung (can develop by breathing in fungus growing in poorly maintained humidifiers/air conditioners/heating systems)
-Hot tub lung (may develop by breathing in bacteria found in some water vapor coming from indoor hot tubs)
Because every individual’s case of this condition is unique, consult your doctor about the best course of diagnosis and treatment if you suspect you have hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Symptoms typically occur around four to six hours after you inhale the allergen. These symptoms can include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Dry coughing
-Shortness of breath
-Chest tightness
-Fever
-Chills
-Fatigue
-Unintentional weight loss
