Farmer's lung causes
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Farmer's lung Microchapters |
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Farmer's lung causes On the Web |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Causes
Mold spores which are produced by micro organisms which grow in baled hay, stored grain, or silage with a high moisture content (30 percent) are main causes of Farmer's Lung. They become active when temperatures reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit in poorly ventilated areas.
Farmers most often suffer from this disease in winter and early spring when stored hay or grain is used to feed livestock and the molds have had time to develop in closed storage areas. The disease is most common in regions with wet weather at harvest time. Farmer's Lung is also more common on dairy farms, especially those not equipped with automated equipment for handling hay or feed.
Heavy concentrations of mold spores appear as a dry, white or gray powder in grain or forage. When the feed is moved, billions of these microscopic sized particles become airborne and attach themselves to dust.
These particles pass through the body's natural filtering mechanisms (nose, hair, and throat mucous) and accumulate in the lungs where they can cause an allergic type of pneumonia. Repeated attacks can lead to scarring of lung tissue, which impairs its function. Such tissue damage is permanent.
Farmers lung symptoms usually reoccur, and a person can become sensitized to the mold. This means it usually takes less exposure for a severe reaction with each succeeding incident.
The symptoms of Farmers Lung are often striking, yet the disease goes unrecognized by many victims and misdiagnosed by physicians not familiar with farm health hazards. Victims and doctors alike often confuse Farmers lung with asthma attacks, pneumonia, or flu because the symptoms are similar.