What is a potential cause of decreased lung compliance?

Decreased lung compliance refers to the lungs' reduced ability to expand and contract, impacting the effectiveness of breathing. Pneumonia can cause decreased lung compliance primarily due to the accumulation of fluid, pus, and cellular debris in the alveoli, which fills the air spaces and makes the lungs stiffer. Inflammation and consolidation associated with pneumonia lead to increased resistance to lung expansion. Consequently, patients with pneumonia may experience difficulty in breathing and reduced oxygenation due to this impaired lung function.

In contrast, other conditions like asthma typically involve airway constriction and increased airway resistance rather than a decrease in compliance. Emphysema may lead to increased lung compliance due to the destruction of alveolar walls and loss of elastic recoil, while pneumothorax involves air in the pleural space and can compromise lung expansion differently but does not primarily lead to decreased lung compliance in the same way pneumonia does. Understanding these mechanisms highlights why pneumonia is recognized as a cause of decreased lung compliance.