ABSTRACT
Pulmonary disease with renal failure includes pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, uremic pneumonia, pleuritis, pulmonary calcification, hemosiderosis, and fibrosis. In acute renal failure, the degree of uremic pulmonary edema is related to the degree of azotemia. In chronic renal failure the severity of uremic pulmonary edema is not directly associated with the degree of azotemia as one sees hyalinization of alveolar septa, casts of bronchioles, and interstitial fibrosis. The primary pulmonary findings in the nephrotic syndrome are pulmonary edema and pleural effusion. All the pulmonary changes of acute and chronic renal failure may be seen in the patient who is on peritoneal dialysis. Pulmonary problems during peritoneal dialysis may be the result of abdominal distention during dialysis with elevation of the diaphragm and pressure on the lower lobes of the lung. Any subacute or chronic lung infiltrate in renal disease, especially in those who have had immunosuppression could represent a malignancy.
