Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesPleural EffusionDiagnosisTreatmentFAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Pleural Effusion
Diagnosis
Treatment
FAQ
Long consolidation occurs when air in the lungs is replaced with pus, blood, or fluid. When lung tissue develops consolidation, it appears solid on imaging studies rather than filled with air, which is what a healthy lung would show.
Consolidation indicates a health issue. Causes of consolidation include pneumonia, aspiration, and lung cancer.
This article describes some of the conditions that may cause lung consolidation, how the condition is diagnosed, and how it’s treated.
Eyesfoto / Getty Images
What Are the Symptoms of Lung Consolidation?
The symptoms of lung consolidation depend on what is causing it. Infection, pulmonary edema, lung cancer, aspiration, and pulmonary hemorrhage are some of the diseases that can cause consolidation. Symptoms that are common to all of these conditions include cough and shortness of breath.
People with pneumonia, lung cancer, or heart disease may experience chest pain or wheezing. Hemoptysis (coughing up blood) may be seen with pneumonia, lung cancer, or pulmonary hemorrhage. Pneumonia is often associated with fevers.
What Causes Lung Consolidation?
A variety of conditions can cause lung consolidation.
Pneumonia
Less commonly, pneumonia may be used to describe inflammation of the lungs due to something other than infection (for example, organizing pneumonia, a type of lung tissue repair after injury).
Pulmonary Edema
The term “edema” means swelling. Pulmonary edema, then, refers to swelling of the lung tissue. As pulmonary edema progresses, the air spaces can fill with fluid, causing consolidation. Pulmonary edema can be divided into two categories, cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema:
Pulmonary Hemorrhage
A number of diseases can cause pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding into the lung tissue. This includes certain types of infection, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary vasculitis, lung cancer, or autoimmune diseases.
Regardless of the cause, pulmonary hemorrhage may cause consolidation on imaging that is difficult to distinguish from other causes of consolidation. The presence of lung consolidation in a patient withhemoptysis(coughing up blood) andanemiais highly suggestive of pulmonary hemorrhage.
Aspiration
Inpulmonary aspiration, foreign substances are inhaled into the lungs. Food, water, blood, or gastric acid may be accidentally aspirated. Large amounts of aspirated material may cause irritation and inflammation of the lungs.This can show up on lung imaging scans as areas of consolidation, especially in the lung bases.
People who are hospitalized are at increased risk for aspiration because they spend most of their time lying on their backs and may have tubes placed in their stomach or airway. Anyone with a decreased level of consciousness is also at increased risk for aspiration, including those who are sick, intoxicated, or have recently had a seizure.
Atelectasis
When Is Coughing up Blood an Emergency?
Lung Cancer
Lung canceris the overall leading cause of cancer death.It is often identified on routine chest X-rays or CT scans. It may appear as a rounded nodule or mass, which may be described as a “spot.”
Sometimes, signs of lung cancer do not appear clearly on scans. It can cause consolidation that is difficult to distinguish from pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage, or other diseases. If lung cancer blocks a normal airway, it may cause pneumonia as a complication (post-obstructive pneumonia).
Because lung cancer can have a variety of appearances, patients with consolidation will often get follow-up imaging to make sure that the imaging abnormality has resolved. Lung consolidation that doesn’t go away after treatment raises the suspicion of lung cancer.
Though your care provider may suspect lung cancer on the basis of an imaging study, the only way to confirm the diagnosis is through abiopsy, in which a small amount of tissue is removed for analysis in a lab.
What’s the Difference Between Lung Consolidation and Pleural Effusion?
Pleural effusion is the buildup of fluid between the chest cavity and the tissue lining the lungs. This is different than lung consolidation, which is fluid or other material that consolidates inside the lung.
Both conditions will show up on an X-ray as white against the air inside the lungs, which appears dark. However, the fluid in pleural effusion will move around when you change positions, while the material in a lung consolidation won’t move because it’s trapped inside the lung.
How Is Lung Consolidation Diagnosed?
The cause of consolidation on imaging may not be immediately obvious. Your healthcare provider will take a history and conduct a physical examination, looking for signs of infection or heart disease. They will look for conditions that place you at risk for aspiration or diseases that cause pulmonary hemorrhage.
Sometimes the appearance of lung consolidation on imaging can be helpful in determining the cause. Pulmonary edema, for example, tends to occur in the lower portions of the lungs (the lung bases). Consolidation related totuberculosis(TB) infection is often located in the upper lungs.
If doctors suspect that the consolidation is due to lung cancer, they will need a sample of tissue to confirm the diagnosis. This can be obtained with a lung biopsy.
How Is Lung Consolidation Treated?
The treatment of consolidation depends on the cause.
Treatment for pneumonia depends on the cause, but will typically be treated with antibiotics, antiviral therapy, or antifungals.
Pulmonary edema
Pulmonary hemorrhage
This can be treated with antibiotics if it is due to infection,blood thinners(anticoagulants) if it is due to blood clots, orimmunosuppressantsif it is due to autoimmune disease.
If aspiration causes pneumonia, it will likely be treated with antibiotics.
Depending on the type and stage of cancer, treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation.
Summary
What Does It Mean to Have a Shadow on the Lung?
Frequently Asked QuestionsThe term “pneumonia” refers to inflammation of the lungs, and people usually use the term when describing lung inflammation due to viral or bacterial infection. “Consolidation” occurs when the air spaces of the lungs are filled with something other than air. In pneumonia, the pulmonary air spaces may fill with fluid, causing them to be “consolidated.“Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of PneumoniaNot necessarily. The causes of lung consolidation can range from fairly benign to truly life-threatening. Your prognosis depends on what is causing the consolidation and what other diseases you have (comorbidities). Your healthcare provider will take a history and perform a physical examination to determine the cause of consolidation and determine whether you are at risk for developing severe disease.
Frequently Asked Questions
The term “pneumonia” refers to inflammation of the lungs, and people usually use the term when describing lung inflammation due to viral or bacterial infection. “Consolidation” occurs when the air spaces of the lungs are filled with something other than air. In pneumonia, the pulmonary air spaces may fill with fluid, causing them to be “consolidated.“Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Pneumonia
The term “pneumonia” refers to inflammation of the lungs, and people usually use the term when describing lung inflammation due to viral or bacterial infection. “Consolidation” occurs when the air spaces of the lungs are filled with something other than air. In pneumonia, the pulmonary air spaces may fill with fluid, causing them to be “consolidated.”
Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Pneumonia
Not necessarily. The causes of lung consolidation can range from fairly benign to truly life-threatening. Your prognosis depends on what is causing the consolidation and what other diseases you have (comorbidities). Your healthcare provider will take a history and perform a physical examination to determine the cause of consolidation and determine whether you are at risk for developing severe disease.
12 Sources
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