Postradiation lung fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis represents the final stage of postradiation lung changes.


 * After irradiation of lung tissue with ionizing radiation at doses> 8 Gy in 30 weeks.
 * Necrotic changes caused by ionizing radiation healed by a fibrotic scar.
 * Clinical manifestations: dry cough, worsening dyspnea (restriction disorder with ↓ diffusion)
 * Diff. dg: radiation pneumonitis (exudative alveolitis from pneumocyte + endothelial damage)
 * Therapy: in small infiltrates, no treatment is necessary, in symptomatic individuals corticoids
 * Risk factors: professional injury (radiologist, miner), poorly targeted radiotherapy

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