i have been diagnose, with restrictive lung disease of unclear etiology due to my PFT scores. a CT scan revealed calcified hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes but no parenchymal lung abnormality. what does this mean and can i continue to be a firefighter. I have never smoked in my life so what causes this.
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor.  There are many causes for restrictive lung disease with calcified Hilary and mediastinal nodes. Commonest among This is acidosis. And in stage 1 disease, no x-ray or CT abnormality is detected except enlarge nodes. For the confirmatory diagnosis of acidosis, lung biopsy is needed. Lung biopsy can be done by either transthoracic CT guided or bronchoscopically. So consult pulmonologist and discuss all these.