About Lung Diseases Affecting the Air Sacs (Alveoli)

Alveolar lung diseases, are a group of diseases that mainly affect the alveoli of the lungs. It refers to filling of the airspaces with fluid or other material (water, pus, blood, cells or proteins). These diseases adversely affect the lung function. Alveolar lung disease may be divided into acute or chronic.

Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis: Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis, commonly known by the acronym PAP, is a rare lung disease characterized by the build-up of grainy material in the alveoli of the lungs. In normal lungs, specialized immune cells called alveolar macrophages swallow and remove inhaled particles and excess surfactant from the alveoli. But in case of PAP these macrophages do not function properly and become inefficient at clearing material from the lungs. Three forms of PAP are currently recognized: congenital, secondary, and acquired.

Tuberculosis: A slowly progressive pneumonia caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis.