How to eliminate residual effects after pneumonia: expert advice. Scars on the lungs after pneumonia

Scar on the lungs

Asked by: George

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Chronic diseases: not specified

Hello. Need a second opinion! The hospital said that he had suffered a dangerous disease on his legs and there was a scar. I would like to know how correctly the doctor made the diagnosis. And is there no such disease, now? Very worried. Thanks in advance!

Cannot diagnose infiltrative tuberculosis or segmental pneumonia? My husband cannot now be diagnosed with infiltrative tuberculosis or segmental pneumonia. I used to have a high fever and cough. After antibiotic treatment, everything went away, now there is no fever, no cough, clear sputum according to the tests, there is a slight pain under the ribs, but there are changes in the pictures, and not much SRI is exceeded in the blood, the doctor cannot yet make a diagnosis. What do you think it could be?

10 responses

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George! This is a picture of a girl! Are you sure this is your photo? The picture shows calcifications in the left root, which are most likely the outcome of tuberculosis transferred on the legs. But now in the picture, or rather in the photo of the picture, the norm!

Olga 2014-09-16 17:59

Alexander Yurievich, thank you very much! Yes, indeed, this is a picture of a girl. Just an e-mail, belongs to George) Tell me, please, what are the risks after such a disease, can I get sick again? And whether my frequent tussis depends on this postponed disease? (although recently, I had tracheitis, however, the doctor made such a conclusion on my symptoms, I really caught a cold). And how is such a disease possible if I have pathological cleanliness, and every six months I donate blood and urine for tests. And how can you transfer without noticing? And in principle, I communicate only as it seems to me with healthy people. Am I contagious now? And the disease is in a state of complete recovery or is it a fading? I'm scared! Because the doctor said that I had some kind of disease, but he said that it did not appear this year!

Good morning!

There are no risks in the presented picture.

It is not a fact that calcifications are from tuberculosis, but most likely from it. Even if the calcifications are from tuberculosis, they are an outcome, they are an old scar!

Calcifications are deposits of calcium in the lymph nodes, in which fierce battles between your body and a tubercle bacillus once took place. The organism won, and calcifications are tombstones over the defeated tuberculosis infection! These are monuments in honor of the victory of your organism. Many adults in our penates have such monuments. Most of us are infected with the tuberculosis bacillus. This is not news or discovery, but a fact!

There is no additional risk of recurrence after self-healing TB if you are otherwise healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle. Tuberculosis is carried on the legs in an asymptomatic or asymptomatic form. The latter can proceed as a banal SARS or as some unnoticed episode of weakness and fatigue.

The picture corresponds to the stage of recovery from the process that caused the calcification!

Olga 2014-09-22 16:43

Hello! Thank you very much for such a comprehensive answer! 1) I am attaching a picture for the previous year 2013. I cough often when I'm sick, I think. But my relatives say that I often cough, they notice it. I would like to add that I have chronic tonsillitis and chronic rhinitis. 2) When the doctor made a diagnosis, he said that the scar was growing. What does it mean?

There are no dynamics in the pictures! Nothing will come! Scars in the same pore! There is no such adult who does not have a single scar on the skin. The same applies to the lungs.

In the picture of the lungs you have the norm! Existing old scars are the norm!

Chronic tonsillitis and chronic rhinitis should be sorted out with an ENT, the first is radically treated promptly, the second is often the cause of chronic cough.

Olga 2014-10-18 21:58

Thank you very much! You helped a lot! Thank you!

Nina 2016-05-12 20:35

Hello. The baby was born at 28 weeks, 1060 g 35 cm. dog, the nasopharynx expands, it doesn’t turn blue around the nose, but it turns blue around the eye, with all this, we were diagnosed with DN0 a month ago. What can you say about our picture and our situation? Can there be such respiratory insufficiency in such a state? The doctor said that there were more scars and the lungs were swollen, what does this mean, I still did not understand
Thanks in advance for your help

A scar on the lung is a phenomenon that occurs as a result of a violation of the integrity of the tissues of the organ. Damage is detected during x-ray examination. The danger of a scar is based on the risk of developing concomitant factors.

The scars that form on the lungs, in medical terminology, are called pulmonary fibrosis, or pneumofibrosis. Scarring of the respiratory organ occurs as a result of the growth of connective tissue. It is formed in the process of healing of inflammatory foci in order to fill the voids that have arisen during inflammation. In the lungs, fusion of the alveoli occurs. The natural function of the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is disturbed. The work of the respiratory system worsens as a result of the accumulation of exudate in the cavities of the alveoli.

In places of scar formation, tissues lose their elasticity. Therefore, the body cannot fully function. The more growths, the more difficult it is for the lungs to perform their function. Hence the direct connection of the need for timely treatment of diseases of the respiratory system with similar consequences.

Pulmonary scars vary in size and location. Given the examination data, the doctor can determine how often a person has had diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough), and determine the degree of damage to the lung tissue.

The larger the area of ​​scarring (overgrowth of connective tissue), the stronger the symptoms appear, and the more dangerous the person's condition. There are three degrees of scarring - fibrosis, sclerosis and cirrhosis of lung tissue.

The doctor notices abnormalities in the work of the lungs during listening, but you can see the scar on the x-ray.

Symptoms and Causes

Patients with scarring of the lung tissue are concerned about shortness of breath and impaired respiratory function. This symptom is especially pronounced after exercise. During auscultation, dry hoarseness is observed. A person feels chest pain, weakness, dizziness. The patient often coughs, the cough is dry or with little sputum. Due to oxygen starvation and oxygenation of the blood, the skin becomes pale, and in the nasolabial fold it acquires a blue tint. Heart failure develops. The person feels a rapid heartbeat. The fingers of the upper limbs may be modified.

There are cases of congenital fibrosis that occur for unknown reasons and are not amenable to therapy.

The state of the respiratory organ depends on the size and number of scars. Small scars after pneumonia do not pose a significant threat to human health. Large ones are dangerous for humans, capable of causing irreversible processes, up to cirrhosis of the lungs.

Features of the appearance after pneumonia

Pneumonia or pneumonia is a dangerous infectious disease of viral or bacterial or fungal etiology. According to statistics from the American National Institutes of Health, 450 million people suffer from pneumonia every year, of which 7 million die.

In most cases, pneumonia ends in recovery with the formation of a scar. One of the common questions asked by pulmonologists is how dangerous is a scar on the lung after pneumonia.

With a long course of the disease, the alveolar tissues become inflamed - erosion and suppuration occur. In the absence of timely treatment, the focus of inflammation spreads rapidly and bilateral pneumonia is diagnosed. During the recovery period, the state of the respiratory organ normalizes. Previously damaged areas of tissue heal, but the alveoli cannot recover. The body replaces the "missing elements" with connective tissue - scars develop after pneumonia. The larger the area of ​​the lesion (the number of foci of inflammation), the more damage may remain in the end. Such formations are not inclined to resolve on their own.

A scar that has arisen after pneumonia of a small size, although visible on an x-ray, does not pose a danger to humans. Scars on the lungs after large-sized pneumonia bring significant problems, attracting concomitant symptoms of impaired respiratory function.

Treatment Methods

In the treatment of lung scars, an integrated therapeutic approach is being built. It must be understood that it is possible to eliminate the problem only in the early stages of formations. In other cases, the essence of treatment is to maintain normal human life.

In the diagnosis of fibrosis, 2 types of treatment are used - conservative and surgical. Conservative treatment consists of several components:

1. Medical treatment. It involves taking - cytostatics, glucocorticosteroids and antifibrotic drugs.
2. oxygen therapy. The patient is given a special procedure for forced inhalation of oxygen.
3. Physical activities. They help to normalize the process of breathing and other vital processes of the body. This includes gymnastics, swimming, walking, running. Actual loads are selected by the attending physician, taking into account the patient's condition.
4. Alternative methods of treatment consist in the independent manufacture of medicines and the use of herbal remedies.

Radical treatment involves surgery to remove the damaged area. Indications for this procedure are hypoxia during physical exertion, a decrease in lung volume to a value below vital, severe respiratory failure.

Prevention

To prevent the formation of scars on the respiratory organ, you must follow the recommendations:

• elimination of precipitating factors. The patient must be protected from sources of irritation of the lung tissue. Change of profession, disease prevention, getting rid of bad habits;
• to refuse from bad habits;
• when working in contaminated conditions, use special protective equipment;
• timely treat infectious diseases;
• lead an active lifestyle, is in the fresh air;
• take medications that cause scarring with caution.

Compliance with the rules will help reduce the risk of the likelihood of a fibrous scar, and improve the general condition of the body.

A scar formed in the lung can be absolutely harmless or carry a clear threat to human life. In order not to endanger when such a phenomenon is detected, a person needs to undergo a complete clinical examination.

The infectious-inflammatory process in the lungs does not go away quickly. The occurrence of residual effects is associated with a violation of gas exchange in the affected tissue. Sometimes feeling unwell does not go away for a very long time - residual effects after pneumonia affect various functions and can lead to undesirable consequences.

Pneumonia is characterized by the accumulation of a certain secret in the alveoli of the lung. Formed adhesions:

• block gas exchange;
• narrow the lumen of the alveoli;
• disrupt breathing.

The main function of the lungs is to enrich the circulating blood with oxygen. This process takes place in the alveoli. If the lung tissue is affected by the disease, then the alveoli suffer. These spherical formations have a large number of small blood vessels. With the development of pneumonia, respiratory function is impaired.

As medical practice shows, residual pneumonia is the toxic effect of pathogenic microorganisms on the lungs.

Important! If there are chronic ailments, then they become aggravated. The body's defenses weaken, and reduced immunity is a favorable factor for the attachment of various secondary infections.

The main reasons for the appearance of residual phenomena are:

• poor functioning of the immune system and decreased immunity;
• the presence of a chronic inflammatory process;
• strong virus attack.

With immunodeficiency after pneumonia, many diseases of the throat, bronchi, and nose often develop. The patient has cough, runny nose, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis. If, after pneumonia, a person is attacked by influenza, then the disease proceeds in a more complicated form.

A weakened body is unable to cope with attacking foreign viruses. Very often, diseases of the bronchi and lungs are caused by a pathogen such as pneumococcus. Infection with this pathogenic microbe occurs by air, so it is quite difficult to protect yourself from the addition of a secondary infection. As medical practice shows, the main residual effect after pneumonia on the lungs is bronchitis. It is usually accompanied by a persistent cough.

Symptoms

How do you know that pneumonia is cured when a cough is present? An X-ray of the lungs is required. Sometimes there are residual effects after pneumonia on x-rays - small blackouts on the lung tissue are clearly visible on the film. After the transferred inflammation of the lungs on the lung tissue are observed:

• scarring;
• adhesions;
• development of bacteremia;
• endocarditis;
• pleurisy.

The microbes present in the bloodstream disrupt the blood circulation in the lung structures. To eliminate the residual change after a previous pneumonia, additional treatment and sanatorium rehabilitation will be required.

The lungs and heart are in close contact, so pneumonia often affects the functioning of the heart organ. Its functions are disturbed, the infection migrates through the bloodstream and causes an inflammatory focus in the heart. endocarditis develops. The disease is associated with damage to the heart membrane and circulatory disorders.

Pleurisy is a change in the structures of the lung that requires immediate treatment. The lungs are enveloped by the pleura. The inflammatory process in a paired organ often passes to this tissue. Adhesions and scars develop, limitation of motor activity, accumulation of excess fluid in the slit-like space. Residual effects are manifested in the onset of shortness of breath and cyanosis. Under load, fatigue is possible, and general weakness is often observed.

Treatment Methods

If there is residual pneumonia, the treatment regimen is prescribed by the attending physician. In no case should you self-medicate. This can lead to a dangerous complication.

The nature of the complication depends on how to treat residual pneumonia. Pulmonary pathology requires a detailed examination and delivery of all necessary tests. The development of pulmonary insufficiency can be fatal, so therapy should be started and continued until complete recovery.

Initially, you should definitely give up bad habits. In no case should you smoke after suffering an inflammatory process in the lungs. It is very important to quit smoking. Such a measure will help restore respiratory function and normalize gas exchange in the paired organ.

Basically, the treatment of residual manifestations is reduced to taking antibiotics. Medications are prescribed by the doctor depending on the nature of the complication and the results of the studies. In case of severe respiratory failure, the air flow may be blocked. In severe cases, the patient is connected to artificial ventilation of the organ. The use of antibiotics and thoracentesis helps to reduce pressure on the walls of the organ. The inflammatory process is reduced. Prescribing an antibiotic helps to treat residual inflammation of the lungs without complications.

Often, pneumonia develops cyanosis of the mucous membrane of the organ. in such a case, it is required to stabilize gas exchange in the lung tissue and stabilize breathing. For these purposes, drugs are prescribed that eliminate the inflammatory process and improve biological reactions in the body.

Advice! If pain is felt in the chest, soreness in the throat, shortness of breath, complex therapy is required.

When residual pneumonia is present, treatment is limited to the use of several methods. In complex treatment are used:

• vibration massage of the sternum;
• oxygen therapy;
• assisted ventilation of the lungs;
• for liquefaction of sputum;
• inflation of the rubber chamber;

The above measures help to stabilize the condition and normalize the respiratory function. After carrying out all the necessary procedures, the residual symptoms after pneumonia cease to disturb the person. Pass cough, shortness of breath, respiratory failure.

Spa treatment

A huge role in the rehabilitation period is played by treatment in a specialized sanatorium under the control of pulmonologists. The sanatorium helps to remove the residual phenomenon after pneumonia for a full course of stay on a ticket. Spa treatment includes:

• procedures using pulsed current;
• electrical stimulation of the diaphragm;
• mercury-quartz baths;
• physiotherapy exercises;
• speleotherapy.

Sanatoriums for patients who have had pneumonia are located on ecologically clean coasts or in forest areas. Treatment in them is aimed at eliminating pathology and adhesions, improving lymph circulation and blood circulation. Modern sanatorium-resort institutions are equipped with all the necessary equipment to eliminate the residual effects of pneumonia.

Strengthening immunity

An increase in the action of the body's defenses contributes to the fact that residual pneumonia in adults passes without a trace. Necessary:

• daily walk moderate walks in the fresh air;
• gradually increase physical activity;
• regularly engage in physical therapy;
• Enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals.

Important! After the process of treating pneumonia is completed, it is required to adhere to the above methods to strengthen immunity. It is necessary to take vitamin complexes, as well as to eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and protein foods daily.

The correct daily regimen, the rejection of bad habits, daily walks and a healthy diet contribute to the elimination of residual manifestations of pneumonia. Strong immunity will restore health and help you forget about the disease.

In many cases, pneumonia does not go away without a trace. The consequences of pneumonia in adults and children are due to the fact that the infection impairs the functioning of the respiratory organs, and this negatively affects the state of the body, in particular, the supply of oxygen to tissues. When the lungs are not able to get rid of bacteria and mucus on their own, quite serious complications arise.

Some people have back pain after pneumonia, others suffer from chest pain. Sometimes it is found that a spot remains after pneumonia. Almost everyone has scars in the lungs after pneumonia. Sometimes they are quite small and will not affect the quality of life in any way, while in other cases they reach quite large sizes, which affects the functioning of the respiratory system. After a cure for pneumonia, you must be attentive to your health, discussing with your doctor all alarming manifestations.

Most often, the cause of the problem is that pneumonia is undertreated or transferred “on the legs”. Pain in the lungs can be manifested by slight tingling when inhaling or by acute attacks. This sometimes causes palpitations and shortness of breath. The severity of pain depends on how severe the disease was, as well as on the efficiency and quality of treatment.

If a lung hurts after pneumonia, then most likely we are talking about an adhesive process in the body. Spikes are called pathological fusion of organs. They are formed as a result of chronic infectious pathologies, mechanical injuries, internal bleeding.

As a result of pneumonia, adhesions between the pleura can occur. One of them lines the chest, the other - the lung. If the inflammation has flowed from the lung to the pleura, then due to the release of fibrin, the pleura sheets stick together with each other. A commissure is an area of ​​glued pleura sheets.

Adhesions on the lungs after pneumonia can be single or multiple. In a critical case, they envelop the pleura completely. At the same time, it shifts and deforms, breathing becomes difficult. Pathology can have an extremely severe course and be aggravated by acute respiratory failure.

Sometimes situations arise when all the symptoms of the disease regress, and shortness of breath does not stop. If it is difficult to breathe after pneumonia, it means that the inflammatory process has not resolved completely, that is, pathogens continue to have a destructive effect on the lung tissue.

Among the possible consequences are pleural empyema, adhesive pleurisy, lung abscess, sepsis, multiple organ failure. By the way, a fairly common question is whether tuberculosis can occur after pneumonia. There is no danger in this respect.

Pneumonia and tuberculosis are caused by different microorganisms. Nevertheless, on x-rays, these diseases are very similar. In practice, pneumonia is usually diagnosed first and treated appropriately. If there is no improvement after therapy, the patient is referred to a phthisiatrician. If tuberculosis is diagnosed after the examination, this does not mean that it has developed as a consequence of pneumonia. The person was simply sick from the very beginning with tuberculosis.

So, if it is difficult to breathe after pneumonia, you need to discuss with your doctor the methods of strengthening the lungs. A good effect can give therapeutic exercises. In her arsenal, techniques such as deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, etc.

Sometimes after pneumonia, the temperature is 37 degrees. You should not be particularly worried - such a clinic is considered normal, but only if there are no infiltrative blackouts on the radiograph, and the clinical blood test is normal. The main causes of temperature are:

• incomplete elimination of foci of inflammation;
• damage to organs by toxins;
• accession of a new infection;
• the presence in the body of pathogenic microorganisms that can actively multiply during periods of weakened immunity and transform into the L-form during periods of increased antibody production.

The consequences of pneumonia in children require special attention. For a child, a temperature tail is a rather rare occurrence. It may indicate that the baby's immunity is weak or structural changes have occurred in the body from the respiratory system.

Bacteremia after pneumonia

This phenomenon is characterized by the fact that in the blood there is a huge number of pathogens. Bacteremia is one of the threatening consequences after pneumonia. It should be suspected with symptoms such as high fever, extreme weakness, cough with green, yellow sputum.

It is necessary to treat bacteremia as soon as possible, since the infection can spread throughout the body and affect the most important organs. Requires a course of potent antibiotics and hospitalization.

With such a serious illness as pneumonia, negative consequences for the body can be associated not only with the specifics of the disease, but also with the methods of treatment. Taking antibacterial drugs for pneumonia can later lead to intoxication.

It often happens that a doctor prescribes an effective antibiotic, but the patient's body simply does not accept it, for example, after the first dose, vomiting begins. Even if the patient responds well to the drug, antibiotics cause serious damage to the intestinal microflora. To avoid this, the doctor prescribes a course of probiotics.

Of course, even if you have chest pain after pneumonia or the picture is not perfect, this does not necessarily indicate the presence of a threatening or irreversible process. You should not panic and look for answers in medical forums. It is much wiser to find a specialist whom you can really trust. He will assess how serious the residual effects after pneumonia are and tell you how to remove them.

Lung scars are a pathology in which normal lung tissue is replaced by connective tissue for one reason or another. This process is associated with increased collagen production.

The connective tissue begins to grow and a rough scar is obtained. Unfortunately, the formation of such a scar is irreversible. In this regard, all treatment is aimed only at improving the quality of life of the patient.

Many people think that pulmonary fibrosis is cancer. This thought is a delusion. The connective tissue extends only up to a certain limit, without dropping out and without causing the appearance of new foci in other organs.

Varieties of fibrosis and its manifestations

There are no age restrictions for this pathology. The risk group includes people whose profession is in constant contact with organic and inorganic dust. Metal shavings, and even the most ordinary flour, can serve as such dust.

There are a number of factors that can cause this disease:

1. Various infectious processes in the lungs.
2. Allergic diseases.
3. The effect of radiation therapy in the treatment of oncology of other localizations.
4. Work in the workplace associated with the inhalation of various harmful substances.

The mechanism of the appearance of the disease lies in the damaging effect of etiological factors. As a result of their impact, microtraumas of the lung are formed, which, after healing, are replaced by scar tissue, which once again proves that fibrosis is not cancer.

In the group of pneumofibrosis, two main types are distinguished:

1. With local fibrosis, only a portion of the lung is involved in the process, which, as mentioned above, is replaced by coarse connective tissue. As a result of such changes, the lung is somewhat deformed, and its volume decreases.
2. In diffuse fibrosis, inflammation affects a large part of the lung. The lung is much more deformed, and its function suffers to a large extent. This form of the disease is quite insidious, as it can affect the vascular network and spread through it. The main way it differs from cancer is that the process does not go beyond the respiratory system and does not affect other organs. Organ changes, such as the heart, are secondary to this disease.

As for the clinical picture, it is quite difficult to recognize a scar on the lung in the early stages. Symptoms can be sufficiently smoothed or disguised as another disease, which allows early detection of fibrosis in only 20% of patients.

The main symptoms and stages of the development of the disease are presented below.

Fundamentals of therapy for fibrotic changes in the lungs

In medical practice, there are six main ways to treat such conditions.

Since scarring in the lungs is quite serious and practically incurable, you need to think about the prevention of pulmonary fibrosis.

1. Avoid lingering respiratory tract infections, try to stop them in a timely manner.
2. Avoid contact with allergens.
3. Refuse working conditions associated with work in harmful conditions. If this is not possible, it is necessary to undergo regular medical examinations.
4. In case of any suspicion of the possible presence of pneumofibrosis, immediately consult a doctor.

In conclusion, I would like to say that only a doctor can and should deal with the treatment of such diseases, independent attempts to cure can be fatal. In the treatment of fibrotic changes in the lungs, one cannot adhere to any one type of therapy.

Everything must be comprehensive. Only the right combination of all components of therapy will help to completely get rid of fibrosis in the early stages, and prevent the development of complications in the later stages.