Lung inflammation can go away and most acute causes of lung inflammation are temporary and can be managed with various treatment options including rest and at home care.
However more serious cases of infectious lung inflammation can be serious enough to need treatment with antibiotics and other medications.
Chronic lung inflammation can also require lifelong management and be debilitating.
Lung inflammation also known as pneumonitis occurs when an irritating substance causes the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs to become inflamed.
The lung inflammation makes it difficult for oxygen to pass through your alveoli and into your bloodstream.
Many irritants, ranging from airborne molds to chemotherapy drugs, have been linked to lung inflammation or pneumonitis.
Lung inflammation can be caused by several different factors such as exposure to airborne toxins or irritants, respiratory infections, and lung diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis.
Symptoms of lung inflammation include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and coughing.
Inflammatory lung diseases include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis are the result of ongoing inflammatory processes.
Asthma is an ongoing disease of the bronchial tubes, where your airways overreact to external factors like smoke, air pollution, and allergens.
Acute lung inflammation happens suddenly and resolves in a few days to weeks.
Chronic lung inflammation can happen gradually and take 6 weeks or longer to recover.
In some cases, your body's immune system can attack healthy cells, which leads to chronic inflammation.
Tests that can tell your doctor and yourself if you have inflamed lungs or lung inflammation include blood tests to confirm the infection and to try to identify the germ that is causing your illness.
Chest X-ray to look for the location and extent of inflammation in your lungs.
Pulse oximetry to measure the oxygen level in your blood.