Aspiration pneumonia is a type of lung infection that is due to a relatively large amount of material from the stomach or mouth entering the lungs. Signs and symptoms often include fever and cough of relatively rapid onset. Complications may include lung abscess, Acute respiratory distress syndrome, empyema, and parapneumonic effusion. Some include chemical induced inflammation of the lungs as a subtype, which occurs from acidic but non-infectious stomach contents entering the lungs.Infection can be due to a variety of bacteria. Risk factors include decreased level of consciousness, problems with swallowing, alcoholism, tube feeding, and poor oral health. Diagnosis is typically based on the presenting history, symptoms, chest X-ray, and sputum culture. Differentiating from other types of pneumonia may be difficult.Treatment is typically with antibiotics such as clindamycin, meropenem, ampicillin/sulbactam, or moxifloxacin. For those with only chemical pneumonitis, antibiotics are not typically required. Among people hospitalized with pneumonia, about 10% are due to aspiration. It occurs more often in older people, especially those in nursing homes. Both sexes are equally affected. Signs and symptoms
The person may have an insidious course with increased respiratory rate, foul-smelling sputum, hemoptysis, and fever. Complications may occur, such as exudative pleural effusion, empyema, and lung abscesses. If left untreated, aspiration pneumonia can progress to form a lung abscess. Another possible complication is an empyema, in which pus collects inside the lungs. If continual aspiration occurs, the chronic inflammation can cause compensatory thickening of the insides of the lungs, resulting in bronchiectasis.
Desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) is a form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia featuring elevated numbers of macrophages within the alveoli (air sacs) of the lung. The alveolar macrophages have a characteristic light brown pigmentation and accumulate in the alveolar lumen and septa regions of the lower lobes of the lungs. The typical effects of the macrophage accumulation are inflammation and later fibrosis (thickening and stiffness) of the lung tissue.The term DIP is a misnomer. Its name is derived from the former belief that these macrophages were pneumocytes that had desquamated.It is associated with patients with a history of smoking. Since more than 80% of cases occur in smokers, it has been suggested that the term DIP should be discarded and the subset occurring in smokers should be replaced with more accurate terms such as smoking-related interstitial fibrosis (SRIF). Although smoking is the most common cause, studies have shown a relationship between occupational exposures and the development of DIP, including occupational dust, fire-extinguisher powder, diesel fumes, nylon filaments and beryllium and copper dust. Additionally, DIP has been observed in children where it typically presents as a result of surfactant protein gene mutations, indicating that the disease is not always acquired in adulthood.Smoking cessation and avoidance of secondhand smoke exposure are both crucial to preventing disease progression, however, treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy has been reported to be effective pharmacologic intervention. Treatment with methylprednisolone has been reported. References


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