Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage

[Jessica]

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a syndrome of recurrent or persistent bleeding into the lungs, caused most often by an autoimmune disorder.

Common symptoms are difficulty breathing and coughing, often coughing up blood.
People usually have a chest x-ray, blood tests, and sometimes examination of the breathing passages with a flexible viewing tube (bronchoscopy).
Treatment of autoimmune causes involves suppression of the immune system with corticosteroids and often cyclophosphamide (a chemotherapy drug) or rituximab (a type of immune suppression drug).

An important function of the immune system is fighting off infections. To do this, the immune system recognizes microorganisms as foreign to the person and produces proteins (antibodies) that join with the microorganisms so they can be removed from the body. In autoimmune disorders, the body mistakenly reacts against a person