lung and airway disorders
Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis
Treatment of Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis
Lung washing People who have few or no symptoms do not require treatment. For people with disabling symptoms, the protein- and fat-rich fluid in the alveoli can be washed out with a salt solution during bronchoscopy or through a special tube inserted through the mouth or through the windpipe (trachea) and into one lung. This procedure is called a lung lavage. Sometimes only a small section of the lung must be washed, but if symptoms are severe and the levels of oxygen in the blood are very low, the person is given general anesthesia, so that one entire lung can be washed. About 3 to 5 days later, the other lung is washed, again after the person has been given general anesthesia. One washing is enough for some people, but others need washings every 6 to 12 months for many years. Recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, a substance that stimulates the body's production of white blood cells, may be given by inhalation or subcutaneous injection. Corticosteroids, such asprednisone, are often not effective and may actually increase the chance of infection. Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, usually taken by mouth. Some people with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis are short of breath indefinitely, but the disease is rarely fatal as long as they have regular lung washings. 