Contents:
- Medical Video: What is Popcorn Lung? The Truth About Diacetyl & Vaping
- Is that popcorn lung?
- What causes pulmonary popcorn?
- What symptoms are indicated by this condition?
- How to diagnose lung popcorn?
- Is there a way to treat it?
Medical Video: What is Popcorn Lung? The Truth About Diacetyl & Vaping
Wet lungs, lung cancer, and pneumonia are some of the lung diseases that might be familiar to you. Well, have you ever heard of lung disease popcorn (lung popcorn) before? With this unique name, you might wonder whether this disease has something to do with food popcorn aka popcorn? Read on to find out more about the review.
Is that popcorn lung?
Bronchiolitis obliterans or more familiarly known as lungs popcorn is a condition when the smallest airways in the lungs (bronchioles) are narrowed due to injury.
Normally, the bronchioles, which are the smallest branches of the bronchi, are responsible for controlling the amount of air coming in during the breathing process.
That's why, disease lung popcorn including emergency conditions that can lead to difficulty breathing, due to the absence of exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.
What causes pulmonary popcorn?
Even though it sounds a little strange, in fact the name of the lung popcorn indeed derived from the chemical diacetyl which is commonly used in the production of foods such as popcorn, caramel, and butter. Workers at the factory popcorn-it was the first time known to often inhale diacetyl chemicals.
Not only that, the use of e-cigarettes, aka vape, is another reason that is predicted to be the cause of lungs popcorn, according to the American Lung Association. Again, this is because the chemical content of diacetyl has a role in increasing the aroma in e-cigarettes.
In addition to chemicals, industrial chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine; nitrogen oxide or laughing gas to anesthetize the patient; metal fumes from construction activities; and industrial air particles that are too often inhaled can also result in lung disease popcorn.
In rare cases, this disease can also occur after a lung disorder or other condition. For example pneumonia, bronchitis, to rheumatism. People with lung transplants are also at risk of experiencing it lung popcorn, especially when the body rejects the entry of new organs.
What symptoms are indicated by this condition?
Lung disease popcorn marked by several things, such as:
- Wheezing (soft breath like bro)
- Dry cough
- Shortness of breath and deep breathing difficulties, especially after doing physical activity
- Severe fatigue
- Irregular breathing
- Having skin, eye, mouth or nose problems (if the cause is chemicals)
These signs and symptoms look similar to other symptoms of lung disease, so they are often ignored or even misinterpreted as indicative of other diseases. Symptoms of the disease lung popcorn generally it starts to appear within 2-8 weeks after exposure to chemicals, and will get worse slowly in a matter of weeks or months.
Immediately see a doctor if you experience one or more of the symptoms above. Especially if the symptoms don't improve over time.
How to diagnose lung popcorn?
If you experience some symptoms that are suspected as lung popcornYour doctor may recommend a CT scan to get a detailed picture of your lung condition.
In addition, bronchoscopy can be another effective choice to find out if there are problems in the lungs. X-rays or X-rays can also be done to complete the results of the examination.
Is there a way to treat it?
As explained earlier, disease lung popcorn is an emergency condition that can cause permanent damage if not treated immediately. Therefore, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms as early as possible so that they can get treatment earlier, to slow the progression of the disease.
Treatment for this condition will be adjusted to the cause and severity of the disease. If it is caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals in an environment, the first step to take is to distance yourself from the environment.
The rest, the doctor may prescribe steroid drugs or antibiotics to help fight inflammation and respiratory infections due to bacterial activity. Provision of immunosuppressive drugs is responsible for slowing down the immune system so as to protect the bronchioles from more severe damage. If necessary, your doctor may also use additional oxygen so you can breathe more easily.
