Author(s): Santos, Rita F. ; Coelho, Andreia L. ; Rufo, João C. ; Coelho, David ; Gonçalves, Melany ; Gonçalves, Samuel L. ; Cunha, Cristina ; Carvalho, Agostinho ; Delgado, Luís ; Morais, António ; Saraiva, Margarida ; Novais-Bastos, Hélder
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/25548
Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico do Porto
Subject(s): Hypersensitivity; Pneumonitis; Interstitial lung disease; Household fungi; T cell response
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease that results in parenchymal and small airways inflammation and culminates in breathlessness, negatively impacting patient’s quality of life and survival. HP is initiated by an exaggerated immune response triggered by the inhalation of a variety of environmental antigens. The identification of the triggering antigen is a cornerstone of the diagnostic algorithm, and importantly, exposure avoidance ameliorates the clinical outcomes. However, the inciting antigen is not identified in a large proportion of patients. A difficult to identify, but common inciting antigen, is exposure to household fungi.
