A 43-year-old patient with dyspnea visits the doctor. The pressure/volume relationship in healthy lung tissue is represented by the black curve in the image below. The patient's lung tissue's pressure/volume connection is shown by the blue curve. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

Question

A 43-year-old patient with dyspnea visits the doctor. The pressure/volume relationship in healthy lung tissue is represented by the black curve in the image below. The patient's lung tissue's pressure/volume connection is shown by the blue curve.  Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The pressure/volume relationship in this patient's lungs depicts dramatically reduced compliance (ie, for any given volume the pressure will be significantly increased). Reduced pulmonary parenchymal compliance is the hallmark of pulmonary fibrosis.

A 43-Year-Old Patient with Dyspnea Visits the Doctor