PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A rare and deadly lung disease related to hormones targets only women, striking them during their childbearing years, says a U.S. expert.
Lymphangioleimyomatosis, or LAM, can be triggered by pregnancy, progresses rapidly, and often results in death within 10 years, according to Vera Krymskaya of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
The disease causes extensive, abnormal smooth muscle-like cell proliferation, which invades and destroys the tissues of the lung by forming cysts, eventually obstructing the flow of air and leading to lung collapse and failure, Krymskaya says.
As many as 250,000 U.S. women may be suffering from LAM, but many are misdiagnosed with asthma or emphysema or remain undiagnosed, says Krymskaya. The key to combating this disease is to educate physicians to know how to diagnose LAM at its earliest stages before lung damage.
"A biopsy and a high-resolution CT scan, not just an X-ray, are needed to detect LAM," she says.
