Radiation pneumonitis is an inflammatory lung reaction triggered by irradiation of the lungs of patients receiving chest radiotherapy. Its severity is related to the radiation dose, the irradiated area of the lungs, and the speed of irradiation, and it can be categorized into 5 grades according to its severity.
Grade 1 patients are asymptomatic, with only mild imaging changes that do not affect daily life and do not require drug treatment.
Grade 2 is a patient who develops symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, which affects daily activities and requires cough suppressant medication.
Grade 3 is patients with worsening symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath, limiting daily activities such as eating, dressing, etc., which cannot be relieved by medication and need to rely on oxygen to relieve symptoms.
Grade 4 is that the patient has severe respiratory distress or even respiratory failure, which is life-threatening and requires emergency endotracheal intubation and ventilator-assisted treatment.
Grade 5 is the patient’s death.
If radioactive pneumonia occurs after radiotherapy, you need to go to a regular hospital as soon as possible, and actively treat under the guidance of a physician.