Causes And Risk Factors Of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, also known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis, is a syndrome of the respiratory system that impacts the terminal bronchioli, lung parenchyma, alveolar interstitium, and the alveoli. It is the result of a delayed allergic reaction that is usually derivative from prolonged and consistent inhalation of numerous kinds of dust or other substances suspended in the air. An individual with hypersensitivity pneumonitis has become over responsive and sensitized to the substances or chemical they have been inhaling. More specifically, hypersensitivity pneumonitis can be a reaction to agents such as proteins from animals and plants, microbes, organic chemicals, and inorganic chemicals. The main challenges of hypersensitivity pneumonitis are the identification and avoidance of the causative antigen. Uncover the main causes and risk factors related to hypersensitivity pneumonitis now.

Inhaling Certain Chemicals

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis can develop from the repeated and consistent inhaling of certain chemicals used in numerous occupations and or around the home on a regular basis. Some of these chemicals include a type of plastics called anhydrides, a type of vineyard fungicide called Bordeaux mixture, types of plastics and paints called isocyanates, a chemical called Pauli's reagent, an insecticide called pyrethrum, and heavy metals such as beryllium and cobalt. Often these antigens are so tiny in diameter that they can be inhaled and end up all the way into the parenchyma of the lung and take the path of the vessels in the lymphatic system where they finally reach their destination at the respiratory bronchioles. It is the body's hyper-reactive inflammatory responses to the invading antigen that ends up causing the sensitization to said antigen. Large numbers of titers of antibodies specifically formed to fight off the causative agent and interstitial infiltration action by inflammatory cells are both ways the body has a hyper-responsive reaction to antigens.

Keep reading for more details on the causes and risk factors of hypersensitivity pneumonitis now.