Diffuse lung disease in the current spectrum of immunocompromised hosts (non-AIDS)

Today's growing population of immunocompromised hosts develops pulmonary infections, predictable to some extent on the basis of type of immune defect, treatment, and underlying disease process. Noninfectious agents, however, also may be responsible for diffuse lung disease in this group of patients, including spread of malignancy, reaction to chemotherapy or radiation, nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis, hemorrhage, and unrelated medical problems. Leukemia and transplantation patients have specific susceptibilities to various forms of diffuse lung disease.