What is BOOP?
BOOP is a swelling of the small airways in the lung. The swelling causes blockages in the outermost parts of the lung. BOOP gets its name from the fact that it closely mimics pneumonia infections. It affects men and women equally, usually beginning in their 40s or 50s, but has been reported in children with underlying cancer. It occurs in six to seven in every 100,000 people.
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What causes BOOP?
BOOP can be classified according to whether the cause is known, it is unknown but occurs in a specific or relevant context, or, in approximately half the cases, has no apparent cause (this is called 'idiopathic').
BOOP has many causes, including:
- infection
- toxic and fume exposure (most commonly nitrogen dioxide)
- collagen vascular disease (rheumatoid arthritis, SLE)
- bone marrow and heart-lung or lung transplantation
- drug reaction (penicillin)
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How is BOOP diagnosed?
In almost three-quarters of people symptoms last less than two months. Few people have symptoms for less than six months before diagnosis. A flu-like illness, characterised by cough, fever, malaise, fatigue, and weight loss, signals the onset of BOOP in two-fifths of people. Inspiratory crackles are frequently heard on chest examination. Diagnosis may involve pulmonary function tests, chest x-rays, a CT scan, or a lung biopsy.
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What is the treatment for BOOP?
If you have an underlying infection, your health professional will give you antibiotics. If a toxin causes BOOP, you should stop all contact with it straight away. In most cases, you will need steroids. Corticosteroid therapy results in clinical recovery in two-thirds of people. Prednisone is the most common steroid treatment. If you do not respond well to steroids (usually people with non-idiopathic BOOP) your health professional will prescribe immunosuppressants.
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Can you recover from BOOP?
65 per cent of idiopathic BOOP people are completely cured. 20 per cent are left with fibrous (scarred) tissues in the lungs. Approximately 30 per cent relapse after treatment. Only between three and ten per cent of people die from BOOP.
