Fibre glass Pneumoconiosis and its Management with Homoeopathic Approach- A Case Report

Pneumoconiosis and Homoeopathy

Abstract

Pneumoconiosis is the spectrum of disorder associated with lungs due to exposure to irritating substances in workplace leading to occupational hazards. It is an irreversible disease occurring due to long term exposure to mineral dust and leads to fibrotic changes in lungs. A male patient of 45 years came to OPD with complaints of breathing distress with stitching type of chest pain which was aggravated on deep inspiration. He would easily get tired from least exertion. The chest pain started for 1.5 years. Along with it he also had dry tickling cough and flatulence with tenderness in right hypochondrium occasionally. He had been working in fibre-glass industry for more than 16 years. The patient complained of breathing difficulty with chest pain of stitching character which aggravated on deep inspiration. The patient had a history of working in fibre-glass industry for more than 16 years and was diagnosed as fibre glass pneumoconiosis pulmonary with ground glass opacity in chest X-ray. In this case report, Bryonia alba in a series of LM potencies was prescribed considering the repertorial totality and analysis of causative modalities. The patient was having alleviation in the respiratory symptoms and pathologically Chest X-ray revealed no abnormality after a span of 12 months. Many chronic cases with irreversible pathological changes have been successfully treated with individualized homoeopathic medicines. Though such improvements are rarely documented in homoeopathic literature, a well-designed clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of homoeopathic medicines in spectrum of pneumoconiosis could establish its worth in such incurable diseases. This documentation will be a decent addition in medical literature showing the efficacy of homoeopathy in such cases.