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Growth and lung function
- Question
- Dear experts,
with our daughter (7, CF), there could be seen some "changed areas" in the HRCT (high resolution CT).
Is it possible, that due to the growth of the lung the relative part of these areas decreases, so that the lung can "grow healthy" in part?
Or can one assume that "healthy" and "changed" parts grow equally?
Best regards, - Answer
- Dear questioner,
you ask if in CF patients pathologically changed parts of the lung can "grow healthy" in the frame of growth.
The question can not be answered comprehensively, without knowledge about details of the found changes in the HRCT.
In case it deals with changes of the structure of the lung or the lung tissue (peribronchial scarring changes or tubular or saccular bronchiectasis) one can not assume, that those chages grow out, as the lung tissue has only a very slight capability of regeneration. In case it deals with the consequences of a chronic overload of air in the lungs, a futural optimal treatment (with drugs and physiotherapy) can help much in reducing such changes.
A detailed plan should be made with your CF team, in order to prevent any further changes of the lung as far as possible with an optimal therapy. The future has to show in how far a preservation of the actual state is possible and probably in how far improvments can be made.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. H.-G. Posselt - 18.01.2010
