[Disseminated processes in the lungs--a current problem of modern pulmonology]

A total of 453 patients with pulmonary disseminations were investigated. A clinico-statistical study of 16,000 adults estimated at 93.7 per 100,000 the prevalence of disseminated pulmonary conditions among the adult population. The referral and clinical diagnoses coincided in 17.4% of cases only, while the time between the emergence of the first symptoms and the final diagnosis averaged 21 +/- 3.3 months. The most valuable diagnostic signs were identified using the association criterion. They were: dyspnea, labored inspiration, hemoptysis, crepitation, spontaneous pneumothorax, roentgenologic evidence of raised diaphragmatic vaults and enlarged mediastinum lymph nodes, as well as certain neutrophil and lymphocyte levels in lavage fluid (Chuprov's coefficient between 0.32 and 0.42). Major management principles are developed with reference to stages of fibrosing alveolitis and granulomatosis.