Pneumonitis

Pneumonitis is a disease that causes swelling of the lungs. It can be caused by medications, immune reactions and by a blockage of the lungs. It is usually a swelling and irritation of the lungs that is not due to a bacterial or viral infection. Pneumonitis is treatable, and most people recover without significant damage to their lungs if treated early.

The following are symptoms of pneumonitis:

• Fever and chills.
• Dry cough.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss.
• Muscle or joint pain.

You can get pneumonitis when you inhale substances that irritate your lungs, like smoke, drugs, chemicals, feathers and bacteria. This causes the tiny sacs in your lungs to become swollen, preventing oxygen from passing through.

You are at an increased risk of having pneumonitis if you:

• Are above 50 years of age.
• Are a woman.
• Smoke tobacco or if you inhale smoke from others (secondhand smoking).
• Using hot tubs or home humidifiers that may contain moulds.
• Work in an environment where you are exposed to dust (e.g. at a sawmill), chemicals (e.g. insecticide) or bird feathers (e.g. at a poultry farm).
• Have had cancer treatment.

If you notice any difficulty breathing or worsening of the symptoms of pneumonitis, or you have had these symptoms for over a week, see your healthcare provider.

You can prevent pneumonitis by avoiding the irritants (quit smoking) and reducing your risk factors for the disease, including practising personal hygiene, wearing protective clothing (like masks) appropriate for work hazards and avoiding extreme weather conditions.

Self-Care Tips

• Use a face mask when working in places where you are exposed to iron filings, bird feathers, mould, smoke, dust, or chemicals that irritate your lungs.
• Drink up to two to three litres of water daily (four to six pure water sachets or 50cl bottles of water).
• Foods like nuts, seeds, beans, white meat and some fish (e.g. sardines) help against the inflammation of the lungs.
• The best thing is to avoid the triggers of pneumonitis. This may require you to change jobs if a face mask does not prevent pneumonitis occurring.

Treatment Options

The following can help to ease the symptoms caused by pneumonitis:

• Use steroids (e.g. prednisolone) to prevent your immune system from reacting to any substance that you inhale.
• Oxygen therapy, which involves you breathing through an oxygen mask placed over your nose. This is useful if you are short of breath.
• Medicines that relax your airways to help you breathe easier, such as salbutamol.
• A lung transplant is the best option with advanced scarring and persistent breathlessness. This, however, is not readily available in Nigeria.

Early treatment of pneumonitis improves your chances of complete recovery. Pneumonitis can cause scars in the lungs when not treated early. However, most important is to avoid inhaling the substances that trigger your pneumonitis.