[Pulmonary function of patients with bird-breeders' exogenous allergic alveolitis]

A total of 59 bird fanciers suffering from alveolitis were examined, of them 23 with alveolitis of bronchitis type, 24 with alveolitis of pneumonic type and 11 alveolitis of fibrosing type. In all 3 variants of a course of alveolitis the obstructive syndrome was the main sign of functional disturbances. Intrapulmonary gas exchange disturbances slightly expressed in alveolitis of bronchitis type and pneumonic type, acquired greater importance in fibrosing alveolitis. The absence of restrictive changes in the patients could result from weakly expressed fibrosing of the pulmonary tissue, its combination with emphysematous-dystrophic changes as well as with lung hyperinflation as a result of disturbances in bronchial permeability.