Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA), also called hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), is a complex syndrome. Thus, diagnosis and treatment remain a challenging task. EAA is caused by sensitization to repeated inhalation of a variety of dusts containing organic antigens. Among the most common diseases are farmer`s lung, bird breeder`s lung, and humidifier lung.Due to the fact that a life-threatening fibrosis may ultimately result from continuous exposure to the antigens, it is highly important to the affected patient to detect and treat EAA. Despite the wealth of research literature on EAA, a lot of questions remain to be answered such as how to improve the professional diagnosis, how to efficiently test for the disease in the medical practice, how to minimize exposure to provocative antigens or how to properly instruct patients. The present work by H.-J. Sennekamp is one of the very few comprehensive monographs on the topic.
Already published in German by Dustri Publishing Company in 1998, the classic now provides a fully updated version translated into the English language. One of the highlights of the present work will unquestionably be the chapter on instructions for professional diagnosis, let alone the impressive reservoir of possible sensitizers. The book includes a carefully selected list of about 2000 reference works also taking into account articles which are otherwise hard to find for scientists and physicians confined to the English language only.