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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffThe most common signs and symptoms of pneumonitis are:
- Difficulty breathing
- Cough
- A fever, which can be low-grade
Chronic pneumonitis
If pneumonitis is undetected or left untreated, you may gradually develop chronic pneumonitis. This is especially common in cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, in which you may be continually exposed to an allergen without realizing it. Signs and symptoms of chronic pneumonitis include:
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Unintentional weight loss
When to call a doctor
Give your doctor a call anytime you have difficulty breathing, with or without a cough — especially if your symptoms appear after you inhale dust or chemicals, or if you are taking a medication that might cause shortness of breath.
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- Rosenow EC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 21, 2009.
- Hanak V, et al. Causes and presenting features in 85 consecutive patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2007;7:812.
- King TE. Treatment and prognosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- King TE. Classification and clinical manifestations of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- King TE. Epidemiology and causes of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- Zacharisen MC. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/131990851-4/830277553/1621/161.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50084-4_1127. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- Machtay M. Pulmonary complications of anticancer treatment. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/131990851-5/830280251/1709/67.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06694-8..50066-X--cesec10_2058. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ipf/ipf_all.html. Accessed April 16, 2009.
- Pulmonary complications. Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/132163627-4/830632837/1565/144.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..50019-8--cesec43_644. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- King TE. Diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Madison JM. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Clinical perspectives. Archives of Pathological Lab Medicine. 2008;132:195.
