What Else Can Injure the Lungs?

Abstract

A growing number of chemical materials, including pharmaceutical agents, have been associated with acute diffuse lung injury with mild to moderate symptoms sometimes progressing to respiratory insufficiency. When biopsies are performed the pathologic findings are generally nonspecific and within the spectrum of the classification of interstitial pneumonitis offered by Liebow.¹ A frequent nonspecific finding is that of usual interstitial pneumonitis with cellular reaction, varying degrees of collagen formation and most commonly no desquamation of cells within alveolar spaces.¹ Although the clinical, roentgenographic and pathological features usually do not clearly implicate the offending chemical agent, epidemiologic data, improvement on withdrawal of . . .