Abstract
Exogenous allergic alveolitides are a heterogeneous group of pulmonary diseases with variable manifestations and prognoses. They develop in predisposed individuals after repeated exposition to inhalation antigens.
Pathogenesis of these diseases has not yet been fully understood, but it can be assumed that different mechanisms are responsible for the granulomatous and fibrotic varieties. Although diagnosing forms with an acute or sub-acute course is usually trouble-free, when fibrotic pulmonary disorder is the primary manifestation, differential diagnostics can get complicated.
With the exception of avoiding exposure to the inhalation antigens, no 'optimal' course of treatment is known.