aetiology of spontaneous pneumothorax
Last reviewed 08/2021
Causes of spontaneous pneumothorax include:
- in primary pneumothorax
- typically occur in tall, thin males
- underlying small subpleural bleb or bulla
- tobacco smoking
- a retrospective study carried out in Stockholm have revealed that relative risk of a first pneumothorax is increased by ninefold in women who smoke and by 22-fold in men who smoke
- in addition there is an association between the number of cigarettes smoked a day and risk of pneumothorax.
- in secondary pneumothorax
- obstructive lung disease – COPD (commonest cause), aasthma
- suppurative lung disease – bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis
- lung malignancy
- infections – pneumonia, tuberculosis
- interstitial lung disease - pulmonary fibrosis, extrinsic allergic alveolitis
- thoracic endometriosis (1,2)
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