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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Swyer-James Syndrome
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Swyer-James Syndrome
by Airman1, Apr 28, 2004 12:00AM
Male, 59 yrs old, diagnosed w/Swyer-James Syndrome. CAT Scanned 2 yrs ago aftr 3 years of treatment for exercise induced asthma at Univ hospital. X-rays never alerted doctors. I inhaled a walnut piece at two and had pneumonia. & had endurance weaknes, many lung infections all my life. Oxygen level never tested when walking around. Sitting, I was 90. With my own Oxymeter, I discovered my level could drop as low as 59. Notified my doctor, had a CAT scan, new diagnosis and put on 24hrs/oxygen. Oxygen level was set at 3 lpm, without even testing to see if high enough to have me walk to my car. It wasn't, so I turned up the dial. Found new doctor, but I still feel like I learned much on this sight. New info: lung hygiene, need for immediate treatment w/infections, flutter devices. With no prescribed treatment plan, I started taking CordyMax Cs-4, Pharmanex, Inc, 6 tabs/day. In 6 weeks I noticed great improvement in energy, stamina, as well as higher O2 levels. This is real, what can you tell me?
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, May 10, 2004 12:00AM
, May 10, 2004 12:00AM
Most people with Swyer-James syndrome do not need to be on continuous oxygen, especially when the lung problem is not easily seen on a chest x-ray. An evaluation by a pulmonologist would determine exactly what is going on and what treatment is best.
Swyer-James (MacLeod) syndrome is named after the doctors that first described the condition. This condition is known by several names including unilateral hyperlucent lung, unilateral bronchiolitis obliterans, and unilateral emphysema. Since it is possible to have no symptoms, the problem may only be found when a chest x-ray is done for some other reason. A chest CT scan is more sensitive and shows more detail than a chest x-ray, so this test may be needed to find the problem. With this syndrome, it’s most important to prevent lung infections. Hand washing is an excellent way to stop the spread of germs. At the first sign of a lung infection, it’s important to be treated.
This syndrome is rare. It generally begins with viral bronchiolitis obliterans, which is common during childhood. In your case it probably started with the pneumonia you had after inhaling the walnut piece. Most of the time it resolves without a trace. Sometimes it causes a permanent change in the lung. When this happens early in childhood the lung may fail to grow normally. If this is unilateral, affecting just one side of the lung, that side may be smaller or normal in size. We all have much more lung capacity than we need, so it is possible to have a very good quality of life with only one lung working. Repeated lung infections can damage the airways. This can result in bronchiectasis.
Bronchiectasis is a disorder of the airways within the lungs. The obstruction in your airways caused by the walnut piece that you inhaled when you were 2 years old followed by the pneumonia most likely caused damage to your airways. The airways become distorted. This created areas where mucus could collect in the airways. It can be difficult to clear this mucus because of damage to the normal methods that the lungs use to clear mucus. This would explain your many lung infections all of your life. So it is important that lung infections are treated immediately. Pulmonary hygiene is very important in preventing and controlling lung infections. Using a prescription inhaled bronchodilator may help to loosen the mucus. Many people find the routine use of a mucus clearance device to be very helpful in clearing the mucus from their lungs. This is a small device that you exhale into causing a vibration in your lungs that loosen mucus so that you can cough it up easier. The names of 2 mucus clearance devices are Flutter Valve and Acapella. If your recurrent lung infections are always in the same area of the lung, surgery to remove that portion of your lung may provide a cure.
Swyer-James (MacLeod) syndrome is named after the doctors that first described the condition. This condition is known by several names including unilateral hyperlucent lung, unilateral bronchiolitis obliterans, and unilateral emphysema. Since it is possible to have no symptoms, the problem may only be found when a chest x-ray is done for some other reason. A chest CT scan is more sensitive and shows more detail than a chest x-ray, so this test may be needed to find the problem. With this syndrome, it’s most important to prevent lung infections. Hand washing is an excellent way to stop the spread of germs. At the first sign of a lung infection, it’s important to be treated.
This syndrome is rare. It generally begins with viral bronchiolitis obliterans, which is common during childhood. In your case it probably started with the pneumonia you had after inhaling the walnut piece. Most of the time it resolves without a trace. Sometimes it causes a permanent change in the lung. When this happens early in childhood the lung may fail to grow normally. If this is unilateral, affecting just one side of the lung, that side may be smaller or normal in size. We all have much more lung capacity than we need, so it is possible to have a very good quality of life with only one lung working. Repeated lung infections can damage the airways. This can result in bronchiectasis.
Bronchiectasis is a disorder of the airways within the lungs. The obstruction in your airways caused by the walnut piece that you inhaled when you were 2 years old followed by the pneumonia most likely caused damage to your airways. The airways become distorted. This created areas where mucus could collect in the airways. It can be difficult to clear this mucus because of damage to the normal methods that the lungs use to clear mucus. This would explain your many lung infections all of your life. So it is important that lung infections are treated immediately. Pulmonary hygiene is very important in preventing and controlling lung infections. Using a prescription inhaled bronchodilator may help to loosen the mucus. Many people find the routine use of a mucus clearance device to be very helpful in clearing the mucus from their lungs. This is a small device that you exhale into causing a vibration in your lungs that loosen mucus so that you can cough it up easier. The names of 2 mucus clearance devices are Flutter Valve and Acapella. If your recurrent lung infections are always in the same area of the lung, surgery to remove that portion of your lung may provide a cure.
