Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the chest that causes the lung to collapse. Spontaneous means there is no traumatic injury to the chest or lung.
See also:
Alternative Names
Lung collapse - spontaneous
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
There are two types of spontaneous pneumothorax:
- Primary spontaneous pneumothorax
- Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax
Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs in people without lung disease. It usually occurs
in tall, thin men between the ages of 20 and 40. Usually, the rupture of a small air- or
fluid-filled sac in the lung (called a
Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax most often occurs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Other lung diseases commonly associated with spontaneous pneumothorax include:
- Tuberculosis
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Lung cancer
- Interstitial lung disease
