Thoracic Pathology Illustrated

Előszó

This chapter covers infections caused by pathogens in the lower respiratory tract and pulmonary parenchyma, and occasionally in the pleurae (secondary infections); these conditions give rise to a clinical picture characterized by changes in normál respiratory function. Respiratory tract infections are the most common infections in man. As stressecl in WHO Report 672, which is based on epidemiological studies from the period 1970-1973, mortality from infections of the respiratory tract accounts for about 60 % of all mortality from respiratory diseases and 6% of deaths from all causes. The problem is therefore a major one, which the physician encounters almost on a daily basis. The pathology is caused by a large variety of etiological agents, and the spectrum of pathogens is even greater in high-risk patients, for instance immunocompromised persons, patients with debilitating disease, patients suffering from chronic bronchopulmonary disorders and the elderly. This underlines the serious difficulty experienced in reaching an etiological diagnosis, yet never has this diagnosis been more important than in the present era of highly potent and specific drugs to combat a broad rangé of microorganisms. VVhile only modern microbiological techniques can provide a degree of etiological accuracy, clinical examinations, x-rays and epidemiological studies can indicate the most likely line of inquiry, supplying the valuable information needed to identify the probable pathogens and immediately institute appropriate antibacterial therapy. The description of infective organisms in acute pulmonary infections is supplemented by a classification which will permit the physician to fmd his way in the maze of clinical entities. The reader will alsó discover a list of the main clinical and microbiological fmdings by which bacterial infections can be identified as probable or defmite and distinguished from infections due to other microorganisms. Lastly, this book contains a description of a large number of clinical and radiological fmdings caused by various infective agents. Vissza