Symptoms of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is a relatively rare disease. The manifestation of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is the appearance of many microliths in the alveoli. So far, we are still not very clear about the cause of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis, so this has created a great obstacle for us in treating pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Let’s take a look at the symptoms of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis below.

There is no good treatment for pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis so far, so we must do a good job of preventing pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis and try to avoid inhaling some dust and smoke.

Symptoms of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis

Most patients have no symptoms before the onset of the disease, which is often discovered during physical examinations. It can cause unique clinical manifestations and X-ray inconsistencies. In severe cases, patients may experience dyspnea, cyanosis, hemoptysis, and clubbing of fingers and toes. Coughing and sputum production are rare, and some patients may cough up microlithiasis. The breath sounds at the lung base decrease, and even respiratory failure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and heart failure may occur.

Differential Diagnosis

Some diseases also show similar diffuse pulmonary nodules or miliary shadows on X-rays, which need to be differentially diagnosed:

1. Miliary tuberculosis

There are symptoms of tuberculosis poisoning. Chest X-ray shows diffusely distributed millet-shaped shadows with uniform size, density and distribution and clear edges in the acute phase, but the density is lower than that of alveolar microlithiasis. In subacute and chronic hematogenous disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis, there are lesions of varying sizes and densities in the upper and middle lung fields, which are different from the distribution of alveolar microlithiasis.

2. Dust silicosis

There is a history of silica dust inhalation. Lung X-ray showed nodules of varying sizes mixed with fibrous reticular shadows. The lesions run in the same direction as the bronchi. Stage I silicosis causes enlarged hilar lymph nodes; stage III silicosis often causes fused silicotic nodular shadows in the upper parts of both lungs.

3. Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis

It is more common in children, with symptoms such as repeated hemoptysis, shortness of breath, fever, and cyanosis. X-rays of both lungs show lighter nodular shadows or flaky infiltrations of varying sizes. After hemoptysis stops, the shadows may be absorbed, or a small amount of reticular or fibrous shadows may remain.

Above, we introduced what alveolar microlithiasis is. We know that alveolar microlithiasis is a relatively rare disease. We currently do not have a better treatment for pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis because we do not know the cause of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. The above article introduced the symptoms of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis.