出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/07/24 23:56 UTC 版)
Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is an inflammatory lung disease of unknown cause. It is a severe, progressive form of bronchiolitis, which is inflammation of the bronchioles. The term "diffuse" refers to the lesions which appear throughout both lungs, while "panbronchiolitis" refers to the inflammation found in all layers of the respiratory bronchioles, both terms describing a common pathology for the disease. DPB mainly causes severe inflammation of the respiratory bronchioles (the section of the bronchioles involved in gas exchange), nodule-like lesions in respiratory and terminal bronchioles, and intense coughing with large amounts of sputum production.