Bird Fancier's Lung
by Rosemary Low,
---------------
There is a medical condition associated with
keeping birds that is seldom discussed by parrot keepers ‑ yet it is extremely
well known to pigeon fanciers. It is called bird fancier's lung, known to the medical profession as
hyper sensitivity pneumonitis. Anyone who keeps birds indoors
should read this article as the disease to which 1 refer is often misdiagnosed
as viral pneumonia or asthma. It is usually difficult to diagnose, except by
doctors who specialise in lung disease and some doctors have not even heard of
it. Symptoms
include shortness of breath, coughing and tiredness. In birdkeepers
the disease is
caused by exposure to feather dust and to protein particles in some
bird droppings, notably those of pigeons. This results in inflammation of the lung (usually of the very small
airways) caused by the body's immune reaction to small airborne particles such
as bacteria,
mould, fungi and
feather dust.
The chronic (long‑term)
form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis is more common
in bird keepers than in any other group of people. In the
Indeed, this is what happened to an
acquaintance o
f mine who kept a few budgies and cockatiels in
her house. She repeatedly visited her doctor complaining of respiratory
problems and was merely told to come back in two weeks' time. The doctor was
unable to diagnose the disease. She lost a lot of weight because her appetite
was affected. It was not until she was so ill she was admitted to hospital for
two weeks that the correct diagnosis was made. When she left hospital she
reluctantly and sadly found new homes for all her birds. There is an acute form
of the disease which usually occurs four to 12 hours after exposure (usually
heavy exposure) to the particles. Symptoms can include shortness of breath,
coughing, fever, chills and an aching body. A chest x‑ray
might show small nodules in the lungs but, if there is no repeated exposure
(unlikely, in the case of birdkeepers), the symptoms
will subside hours to days after exposure.
Note that bird fancier's disease has a worse
prognosis than farmer's lung. Removing exposure to birds results only in
partial improvement. The chronic disease can result in muscle wasting and
weight loss. Note that people who work with poultry are equally at risk.
What should you do if you think you have
hypersensitivity pneumonitis? If you go to your
doctor you will probably be given a lung function test (blowing into a tube).
This is not very sophisticated and you could be told that your lung function is
excellent even‑
although you are
suffering from the disease. You should ask to be referred to a respiratory
specialist. Because the disease is so difficult to diagnose, even if you have a
high‑resolution lung scan, you might be told
that the result is not conclusive. You
will probably be sent for a range of breathing tests at a hospital, probably
with an appointment for another test in a few months' time
to assess whether deterioration of your lung function has occurred.
As soon as the specialist suspects you are
suffering from the disease, you will be advised to get rid of all your birds.
For some people, including many pigeon fanciers, this is unthinkable. However,
the disease can become severely debilitating so that an affected person can be
struggling to walk and looking after birds becomes more and more difficult.
Some people are diagnosed too late so that parting with their birds is absolutely
necessary to prolong their lives. However, if an affected person seeks help from the medical profession
before the condition becomes too debilitating, there are a
number of
precautions that can retard the progression of the
disease. These are as follows:
·
Always wear a mask when cleaning cages and aviaries and any time in the
presence of your birds. The cheap masks that you might buy from a do‑it‑yourself store, without a valve, are not
adequate. You need the kind of mask that pigeon fancier's use or another type that has an exhale valve. Catalogues from do‑it‑yourself and trade companies feature
these masks.
·
Do not keep any birds in the house, as you thus have almost permanent exposure to
the feather dust and other particles that have caused the disease.
·
Keep a set of clothes to change into every time you go to your aviaries or birdrooms.
Because particles can be carried on your hair, wear a jacket with the hood up
or some other protective headgear. Change back into your usual clothes as soon
as you leave the aviaries.
·
If
possible, employ someone to clean your cages or aviaries for you.
·
Throw
away pillows and doonas that contain feathers! Their
use means that you are sleeping with feathers for perhaps one third of your
life. 1
·
Buy a good air purifying unit ‑ one for the birdhouse and, if
necessary, another for your home.
Note that if you keep a cockatoo or a parrot in
the house you will be susceptible because they all give off feather dust.
However, spraying the birds daily (by someone else) or allowing them to bathe
will help to reduce the amount of feather dust in the environment.
If you are a bird keeper and a non‑smoker and you cough regularly, it is advisable
to wear a mask when tending to your birds. A friend who keeps pigeons and
parrots was experiencing severe bouts of coughing every morning. She attributed
this to the stress of moving house. Then she decided to wear a mask when
feeding and cleaning out her birds. Within three months she had ceased to
cough, clearly indicating that it was feather dust that had caused the problem.
