[Cardiopulmonary function disorders in pulmonary fibrosis of various etiology]

A large number of different pulmonary diseases eventually result in producing the final morphological pattern of pulmonary fibrosis. Basing on essential cardiopulmonary functional parameters, four relatively frequently encountered fibrotic pulmonary diseases are compared with each other. Patients suffering from bird breeder's lung show typical obstructive disturbances of ventilation that are even more marked in collagenoses with lung involvement. Patients suffering from electric welder's lung are notable for enhanced respiratory tract obstructions and increased residual volumes. In patients with sarcoidosis it is recommended to determine, above all, the lung compliance besides measuring the diffusion capacity. The specific compliance should be chosen as criterion to assess the compliance, so that the preliminary extension of the lung by emphysema is taken into consideration. Welder's lungs, bird breeder's lungs and collagenoses show a load-conditioned respiratory partial insufficiency and a latent pulmonary hypertonia. The examined groups of patients showed similar functional patterns, but individual parameters were disease-specifically considerably different from standard values.