Bronchiolitis obliterans with obstructive pulmonary disease
Synonyms
3
Overview
Bronchiolitis obliterans with obstructive pulmonary disease(BOOP, oblitrative bronchiolitis, constrictive bronchiolitis), is a rare condition involving the inflammation and thickening of the internal lung structures (bronchioles) which affects breathing. It can be triggered by certain infections, drug reactions or for no obvious reason. The condition often progresses to cause serious respiratory problems or even death though the rate of disease progression is variable.
Symptoms
- Coughing
- Excessive shortness of breath during exertion
- Low blood oxygen levels
- Breathing difficulty
- Tiredness
Diagnosis
- Chest X-rays tests.
- Diffusing capacity of the lung (DLCO) tests are usually normal.
- Spirometry tests show fixed airway obstructions and sometimes restriction.
- Lung Volume tests may show hyperinflation (excessive air in lungs caused by air trapping).
- High-resolution computerized tomography scans of the chest at full inspiration and expiration may reveal heterogeneous air trapping on the expiratory view as well as haziness and thickened airway walls.
- Lung biopsies may reveal evidence of constrictive bronchiolitis obliterans (i.e., severe narrowing or complete obstruction of the small airways). An open lung biopsy, such as by thoracoscopy, is more likely to be diagnostic than a transbronchial biopsy. Special processing, staining, and review of multiple tissue sections may be necessary for a diagnosis
Treatment
This disease is irreversible and severe cases often require a lung transplant. Evaluation of interventions to prevent bronchiolitis obliterans relies on early detection of abnormal spirometry results or unusual decreases in repeated measurements.