Criteria for Farmer's Lung Disease

Is there evidence of exposure to an offending antigen based on history?

Can specific antibodies be demonstrated in the patient's serum?

Have fungi or other micro-organisms associated with the syndrome been isolated on environmental cultures?

Does the patient have symptoms of fever, chills, malaise, dry cough, and/or dyspnea?

Do symptoms appear or become worse within a few hours after exposure to the implicated environment?

Does the chest X-ray show patchy, ill-defined parenchymal densities and interstitial strands?

Are basal crepitating rales heard on chest auscultation?

Is the pulmonary diffusion capacity impaired?

Is the PaO2 decreased while the patient is at rest?

Does the PaO2 decrease during exercise?

Is a restrictive lung pattern seen on spirometry?

Does a lung biopsy show acute granulomatous interstitial pneumonitis?

Does a provocation test precipitate the clinical syndrome?

Have other lung diseases been excluded?