77-year-old man's lungs turned into "honeycombs"! The culprit was these habits

Mr. Wang, 77, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, suddenly started coughing up blood not long ago. After a lung CT scan, the doctor was surprised to find that Mr. Wang had obvious signs of pulmonary fibrosis...
Small amount of hemoptysis

Pulmonary fibrosis and local honeycomb lesions were found

Recently, Mr. Wang came to the respiratory department of Hangzhou First People's Hospital with the results of his previous examination. Shen Ling, the chief physician of the respiratory department, found that Mr. Wang only had a small amount of hemoptysis symptoms, no cough or sputum, and his mental state was also very good, which was not completely consistent with most bronchitis patients.

The doctor immediately arranged a lung CT scan for the patient. When reviewing the imaging data, he was surprised to find that Mr. Wang's lungs had obvious characteristics of pulmonary fibrosis. What was more serious was that honeycomb-like lesions had formed locally.

Pulmonary fibrosis

No less lethal than lung cancer

Simply put, pulmonary fibrosis is a disease in which normal alveoli are gradually replaced by fibrous substances, causing the lung tissue to become hardened and thickened, the normal lung tissue structure to change, and the lungs' ability to exchange oxygen into the blood to gradually be lost. Patients suffer from difficulty breathing, hypoxia, acidosis, and loss of labor, and in severe cases, death may occur.

Shen Ling explained that if the lungs are compared to a sponge, fibrotic lungs are like glue absorbed into the sponge, which becomes hard as the glue solidifies. If not diagnosed and treated in time, it will be life-threatening.

After ruling out common factors such as smoking, exposure to chemicals, rheumatic diseases, and the possibility of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, doctors focused on the problem of "stomach acid."

Shen Ling pointed out that some middle-aged and elderly people may experience reflux of gastric acid into the esophagus due to relaxation of the cardiac sphincter at the lower end of the esophagus, or some people may experience external force. Acid reflux, heartburn, and bloating are common symptoms. In severe cases, gastric acid may reflux into the pharynx and be inhaled into the lungs.

Due to the strong irritation of gastric acid, repeated inhalation by patients causes chemical damage, which can lead to chronic inflammation and fibrosis of the lungs.

The culprit

These lifestyle habits

It turned out that Mr. Wang had suffered from gastroesophageal reflux for many years and had frequent aspiration. The occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux was closely related to his lifestyle.

Uncle Wang does fitness all year round. In order to maintain his figure, he often has to wear a tight compression garment to restrain his body. This tight garment will cause a certain restraint on the abdomen, leading to increased abdominal pressure, which in turn pushes the stomach contents to reflux upward.

In addition, he also likes sweets very much, which will gradually weaken the normal peristalsis function of the stomach, delay gastric emptying, and increase the risk of acid reflux. Frequent tea drinking also reduces the tension of his lower esophageal sphincter, making it unable to effectively prevent acid reflux.

Moreover, he had been sleeping in the right side position for a long time, which created conditions for the accidental aspiration of gastric acid into the right lower lung. As a result, trace amounts of gastric acid repeatedly entered the right lower lung during sleep, which accumulated over time and caused serious pulmonary fibrosis.

Doctors remind that to prevent pulmonary fibrosis, in addition to being vigilant about gastroesophageal reflux, we must also actively quit smoking and avoid occupational exposure. If contact with related substances cannot be avoided, we should also have a physical examination every six months or even three months, complete a high-resolution chest CT and lung function test, and achieve early detection and early treatment.

Source: Beijing Evening News, Healthy Hangzhou, Overview News

Image: Qianku.com