REACTION OF HUMAN LUNGS TO ASPIRATED ANIMAL FAT (GHEE) - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY

We report the clinical findings and pathological lung changes in four children following a cultural practice of forced feeding with animal f at (ghee) during infancy. The clinical presentation was of acute or ch ronic chest infection which failed to respond to antimicrobial therapy . The radiographic features ranged from extensive bronchopneumonia to collapse/consolidation and bronchiectasis. The light microscopy findin gs included diffuse mononuclear interstitial pneumonia, intraalveolar desquamation of pneumocytes, lipid granuloma formation, lung atelectas is and bronchiectasis. In the two children with longstanding reactions , the striking feature was the minimal lipid engulfment by the macroph ages, the continuation of the mononuclear interstitial pneumonia, bron chiectasis and minimal lung fibrosis. In these two older children, the lung lymphatics were probably the main channels for drainage of the a spirated ghee.