Acute:

• Air hunger (feeling that you cannot get enough air)
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Possibly wet or gurgle sounding breathing (abnormal lung sounds)
• Unusual sensation (possibly burning feeling) in the chest

Chronic:

• Cough may or may not occur
• Progressive disability (related to shortness of breath)
• Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
• Shortness of breath with only mild exercise

The following tests help determine how severely the lungs are affected:

• Blood gas
• CT scan of chest
• Lung function studies
• X-ray of the chest
• Swallowing studies

Images

Lungs

Respiratory system

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Chemical pneumonitis Overview

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Chemical pneumonitis Treatment

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)