alveolitis
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun (Medical):
- Inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs: A condition, often caused by inhaling dust or other irritants, where the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs become inflamed. Repeated exposure can lead to a chronic form.
- Inflammation in a tooth socket: A painful condition that can occur after a tooth extraction, often when the protective blood clot in the socket fails to form or is dislodged.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Lung condition):
- Farmers are at risk of developing alveolitis from inhaling moldy hay dust.
- The chest X-ray confirmed a diagnosis of allergic alveolitis.
- Noun (Dental condition):
- The patient experienced severe pain from alveolitis three days after the wisdom tooth removal.
- To prevent alveolitis, avoid vigorous rinsing after an extraction.
Advanced Usage
- "Extrinsic allergic alveolitis": A specific type of lung alveolitis caused by an allergic reaction to inhaled organic dusts, such as bird fancier's lung or farmer's lung.
- His hobby of keeping pigeons led to a case of extrinsic allergic alveolitis.
- "Dry socket": A common informal term for the dental form of alveolitis.
- The dentist said the pain was likely due to a dry socket, or alveolitis.
Variants and Related Words
- Alveolar (adj): Pertaining to the alveoli.
- Alveolar damage is a key feature of this disease.
- Pneumonitis (n): A more general term for inflammation of lung tissue, which can include alveolitis.
- Periapical periodontitis (n): Another type of dental inflammation, distinct from alveolar socket inflammation.
Synonyms
- For lung condition: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (for the allergic type).
- For dental condition: Dry socket, fibrinolytic osteitis.
Notes on Different Meanings
The word alveolitis has two distinct medical meanings based on the type of alveoli involved: 1. Pulmonary Alveoli: Refers to the millions of tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs. Inflammation here is a respiratory disease. 2. Dental Alveoli (Tooth Sockets): Refers to the bony sockets in the jaw that hold the roots of teeth. Inflammation here is a dental complication.
The context (lung symptoms vs. dental procedure) always clarifies which meaning is intended.
Noun
- inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs caused by inhaling dust; with repeated exposure the condition may become chronic
- inflammation in the socket of a tooth; sometimes occurs after a tooth is extracted and a blood clot fails to form