Chronic Hypoxia Accentuates Dysanaptic Lung Growth.

RATIONALE: Adults born and raised at high altitudes have larger lung volumes and greater pulmonary diffusion capacity compared with adults at low altitude; however, it remains unclear whether the air and tissue volumes have comparable increases and whether there is a difference in airway size. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of chronic hypoxia on lung growth using in vivo high-resolution computed tomography measurements. METHODS: Healthy adults born and raised at moderate altitude (2,000 m above sea level; n = 19) and at low altitude (400 m above sea level; n = 23) underwent high-resolution computed tomography. Differences in total lung, air, and tissue volume, mean lung density, as well as airway lumen and wall areas in anatomically matched airways were compared between groups. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: No significant differences for age, sex, weight, or height were found between the two groups (P > 0.05). In a multivariate regression model, altitude was a significant contributor for total lung volume (P = 0.02), air volume (P = 0.03), and tissue volume (P = 0.03), whereby the volumes were greater for the moderate- versus the low-altitude group. However, altitude was not a significant contributor for mean lung density (P = 0.35) or lumen and wall areas in anatomically matched segmental, subsegmental, and subsubsegmental airways. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the adult lung did not increase lung volume later in life by expansion of an existing number of alveoli, but rather from increased alveolarization early in life. In addition, chronic hypoxia accentuates dysanaptic lung growth by increasing the lung parenchyma but not the airways.

Development of a simple binary response questionnaire to identify airflow obstruction in a smoking population in Argentina.

The CODE questionnaire (COPD detection questionnaire), a simple, binary response scale (yes/no), screening questionnaire, was developed for the identification of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a survey of 468 subjects with a smoking history in 10 public hospitals in Argentina. Patients with a previous diagnosis of COPD, asthma and other respiratory illness were excluded. Items that measured conceptual domains in terms of characteristics of symptoms, smoking history and demographics data were considered. 96 (20.5%) subjects had a diagnosis of COPD according to the 2010 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease strategy document. The variables selected for the final questionnaire were based on univariate and multivariate analyses and clinical criteria. Finally, we selected the presence or absence of six variables (age ≥50 years, smoking history ≥30 pack-years, male sex, chronic cough, chronic phlegm and dyspnoea). Of patients without any of these six variables (0 points), none had COPD. The ability of the CODE questionnaire to discriminate between subjects with and without COPD was good (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75). Higher scores were associated with a greater probability of COPD. The CODE questionnaire is a brief, accurate questionnaire that can identify smoking individuals likely to have COPD.

Neumonitis causada por terapia con sales de oro / Pneumonitis caused by gold salts therapy

La neumonitis inducida por sales de oro fue descripta por primera vez en 1960. Existen pocos casos bien documentados reportados a la fecha. Se describe un interesante caso de injuria pulmonar difusa reversible, desarrollada en una paciente con artritis reumatoidea en curso terapeútico con sales de oro. El desarrollo de síntomas respiratorios poco tiempo después de la aparición de un rash cutáneo típico inducido por oro, la ausencia de compromiso pleural, la respuesta favorable a la administración de corticoterapia y la interrupción de las sales de oro sugieren el diagnóstico.

Aspergilosis pulmonar: sindromes de hipersensibilidad / Pulmonary aspergillosis: hypersensitivity syndromes

Las especies de hongos del género Aspergillus, presentan especial predilección por el tejido pulmonar, originando variados cuadros clínicos según se presenten como síndromes de hipersensibilidad o infecciones invasivas y diseminadas. En esta oportunidad se presentan dos casos clínicos de hipersensibilidad pulmonar al Aspergillus con las formas de Alveolitis Alérgica Extrínseca y Aspergilosis Broncopulmonar Alérgica. Ambos tratados con Itraconazol 400 mg/día vía oral en forma exitosa y con negativización de la serología para Aspergillus. Esta patología debe ser sospechada en pacientes con broncoobstrucción, bronquiectasias e infiltrados pulmonares que no responden al tratamiento habitual o bien ante el antecedente de exposición al hongo. El tratamiento con Itraconazol por vía oral puede ser eficaz al disminuir la carga micótica en estos pacientes.

Neumonía eosinofílica crónica / Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia

Las enfermedades pulmonares eosinofílicas constituyen un variado grupo de patologías que tienen en común la presencia de eosinofilia periférica y tisular e infiltrados radiológicos. Dentro de este grupo se encuentran las neumonías eosinofílicas crónicas. Presentamos dos casos de esta patología en los cuales la biopsia pulmonar no fue necesaria para su diagnóstico. Ambos casos de sexo masculino consultan por síndrome febril y tos, con eosinofilia periférica y eritrosedimentación elevada. En la radiografía y tomografía computada de tórax se observan infiltrados intersticioalveolares periféricos y bilaterales. Examen parasitológico normal. El lavado bronquioalveolar es negativo para células neoplásicas, gérmenes comunes, micológico y tuberculosis, con aumento de Eosinófilos en el mismo. Presentan mejoría clínica y radiológica al tratamiento con corticoides. Actualmente es posible diagnosticar esta patología en base a la presentación clínica típica, los infiltrados radiológicos característicos, el aumento de porcentajes de Eosinófilos en el lavado bronquioalveolar y la rápida respuesta al tratamiento con corticoides, reservando la biopsia pulmonar para casos más dificultosos.