J65: Pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis

You need lungs to breath. When you breathe in, the air with the oxygen passes through the airways to the lungs. The respiratory tract ends in the air sacs in the lungs. Oxygen passes into the blood in the pulmonary alveoli (air sacs). The pulmonary alveoli and the airways are surrounded by supportive tissue. This supportive tissue consists of connective tissue.

You have inhaled a lot of dust over a considerable time. This dust has been deposited in your lungs. The dust in your lungs has activated your immune system. The immune system has caused an inflammation. The pulmonary alveoli, or air sacs, were damaged by the inflammation.

The immune system can also release substances by which the connective tissue in the lungs multiplies. As a result, the wall of the air sacs thickens. When the wall of the air sacs is thickened, less oxygen from the lungs is able to get into the blood.

In addition, you have been infected with tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is caused by specific bacteria. These bacteria usually infect people through the air. The bacteria can survive undetected in the body for a very long time. But they can also cause severe inflammations. That is especially the case when the body’s immune system is weakened.

In your case, these bacteria have caused an inflammation in the lungs. Typical symptoms for this can be a high temperature and coughing.