Clinical repercussion of the various states of extrinsic pulmonary granulomatoses on the bronchial tree.

The AA. evaluated the importance of the bronchial participation in 175 patients with histologically confirmed pulmonary granulomatoses. Many had symptoms specifically due to bronchial changes. In some of the patients, bronchial symptoms appeared late in the natural development of the disease, while in others they filled the clinical picture from the beginning. The AA. discuss the possible influence of other aggressors of the bronchial mucosa, e.g. tobacco, and conclude that, in a fair number of cases, it was not possible to attribute the pathology to them. In a patient with a history suggestive of pathology due to inhaled foreign particles, even when bronchial symptoms predominate, an extrinsic pulmonary granulomatosis must be considered for diagnosis.