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Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2015; 36(03): 366-378
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1549452
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Occupational and Environmental Bronchiolar Disorders

Authors

  • Kristin J. Cummings

    1   Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia

  • Kathleen Kreiss

    1   Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
29 May 2015 (online)

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Abstract

Occupational and environmental causes of bronchiolar disorders are recognized on the basis of case reports, case series, and, less commonly, epidemiologic investigations. Pathology may be limited to the bronchioles or also involve other components of the respiratory tract, including the alveoli. A range of clinical, functional, and radiographic findings, including symptomatic disease lacking abnormalities on noninvasive testing, poses a diagnostic challenge and highlights the value of surgical biopsy. Disease clusters in workplaces and communities have identified new etiologies, drawn attention to indolent disease that may otherwise have been categorized as idiopathic, and expanded the spectrum of histopathologic responses to an exposure. More sensitive noninvasive diagnostic tools, evidence-based therapies, and ongoing epidemiologic investigation of at-risk populations are needed to identify, treat, and prevent exposure-related bronchiolar disorders.

Keywords

bronchiolitis - BOOP - exposure - lung function - biopsy