Byssinosis natural history, complications and prognosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Most patients experience total recovery of lung function, if exposure to the agent that caused the problem is avoided or limited the exposure, but this takes several years.

• In general, the majority of patients recover completely after the inciting exposure ceases.

• The prognosis of Bird Fancier’s Disease is worse than Farmer’s Lung.
• Other varieties of HP have more variable outcomes.

The chronic form of this disease may lead to pulmonary fibrosis (a scarring of the lung tissue that often is not reversible).