[Hamman-Rich syndrome]

An analysis of 29 observations of the Hamman-Rich syndrome was carried out. Histological, histochemical, and electron microscopic studies showed the earliest changes to consist in edema of the interstitial connective tissue of the lungs followed by the development of crude lesions of alveolar elasticity and increase in the number of argirophilic and collagen fibers leading to disorders in the aerohematic barrier. The chronic course of the disease leads to pulmonary microcystosis. Hormone therapy slows down the development of the pathologic process.