What Are The Types Of Lung Involvement In Scleroderma?
It is said that about 10% to 15% of all people with lung involvement in scleroderma would develop sever lung disease during the duration of their illness. There are two main manifestations of lung involvement in scleroderma, one is interstitial lung disease. This is also known as fibrosing alveolitis or pulmonary fibrosis. This occurs in about 75% of all people with scleroderma.
Another manifestation is pulmonary vascular disease, which is the lung problem that could lead to hypertension. This occurs more frequently as another pulmonary complication, but it can also be a result of pulmonary fibrosis. This could happen from 10% to about 80% of all cases of scleroderma. Other manifestations of lung involvement in scleroderma would include brochiectasis, aspiration pneumonia, neoplasm, spontaneous pneumothorax and drug-associated pneumonitis.
How Can This Be Treated Or Managed?
There has been no known cure for lung involvement in scleroderma and as well as all other cases of scleroderma, it can however still be treated with a different approach. Instead of attempting to completely remove scleroderma from a patient, the typical approach for treating lung involvement in scleroderma is to prevent further damage or to attempt to restore normal lung activity with the use of medications, therapy or surgery for some cases.
The most used drug in treating pulmonary scleroderma are corticosteroids. These are also work more effectively when taken with cyclophosphanide. However, not all cases have been effectively treated with it. If ever a patient should develop side effects or if it would lead to further complications, the patient should consider other medications such as HRCT, BAL or penicillamine.