Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
How can you get a diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and how will a diagnosis support a legal case?
Our industrial disease law experts explain how a diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis is made and how it could support a claim if it is found your employer is responsible.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an immune system disorder that affects your lungs and can occur if someone inhales certain substances in the environment, such as mould, or the skin cells shed by animals with fur.
These substances trigger the immune system and cause short or long-term inflammation in the lungs. This inflammation prevents the lungs from working properly and can make it harder to breathe.
The first step to getting a diagnosis is noticing something is wrong. Possible symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis include:
- Wheeziness or chest tightness which improves away from work
- Night cough or chest tightness
- Development of chest tightness or breathlessness after exercise
- Stuffy nose
- Unexplained weight loss
- Cough with sputum
- Flu-like illness developing recurrently during the working week
- Clubbing - a widening and rounding at the ends of your fingers or toes, along with a downward sloping of the nails
How can you get a diagnosis?
According to the European Respiratory Review , a diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis requires multiple tests across different medical disciplines. Medical professionals will examine chest scans and evaluate potential places of exposure. High-resolution CT scan (HRCT) findings can determine the stage of the disease, and therefore help produce a timeline of potential exposure.
A confident diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis can be made in patients who have an identified exposure and a typical HP pattern on a high-resolution scan.
How a diagnosis can support a claim
Throughout the process of your claim, with your permission, your solicitor will obtain and review your medical records. They will arrange for you to see an independent medical expert who specialises in your illness, who will then prepare a report formally confirming your diagnosis and if appropriate, linking your diagnosis to your employment history.
A confirmed diagnosis within your medical records will strengthen your case and help prove if and how your employer may have been responsible for your exposure.
The law states that every employer has a duty of care to protect employees from suffering harm in the workplace.
Where your employer failed to foresee the harm that could be caused by your occupation, or provide the correct protective gear specified, they could be said to have failed in their duty of care.
Speak to specialist industrial disease solicitor
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis claims are a highly specialised area of the law, so it is important to work with solicitors who have extensive experience in working on these highly specialised claims.
Our expert solicitors understand the impact a diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis can have on victims and their families and aim to be as considerate and supportive as possible throughout the claims process.
If you or a loved one have been affected by hypersensitivity pneumonitis or any other industrial disease, please contact us on 0330 107 6498 or online here and we will support you with your next steps.
