Definition

1. 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

1. inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs caused by inhaling dust; with repeated exposure the condition may become chronic
2. inflammation in the socket of a tooth; sometimes occurs after a tooth is extracted and a blood clot fails to form