Advertisement
Interstitial lung disease has many mysterious causes
Every day, you encounter irritants that can harm your lungs. Some are obvious, such as dust mites, smoking or exposure to car fumes. But did you know that even the bedding in your home can seriously affect your breathing?
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Feather duvet lung is an inflammatory reaction to goose or duck feathers in linens. It’s a form of lung condition called hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which is one of many disorders that fall under the umbrella of interstitial lung disease.
Feather duvet lung is your body’s response to long-term exposure to environmental irritants in bedding, such as feathers, that cause an inflammatory response in your lungs. As a response, tiny air sacs in your lungs become inflamed. If you have symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough and chest pain — and sleep with down bedding — it’s crucial to work with your doctors to determine all the possible reasons. Your bedding could be to blame.
Bedding may seem like an unlikely culprit for your breathing issues, but lung specialist Daniel Culver, DO, says otherwise.
“We never cease to be amazed by some of the things that cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis in some people’s environments,” he says. Feather duvet lung is one type of a larger condition called bird fancier’s lung, one of the most common forms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Pet bird owners take heed: feathers and droppings can also cause inflammation in the lungs. Even arts and craft materials, such as feathers, can cause irritation.
Advertisement
“Diagnosing feather duvet lung is challenging and interesting, and every patient has the potential to throw you a curveball,” Dr. Culver says.
Because you spend close to one-third of your life in your bed, keeping your bedding free from items that cause irritation is important. Reactions to bedding containing goose or other feathers is a common source of feather duvet lung, hence the name! If you do have a reaction to bedding such as down linens, sometimes the best way to tackle the problem is with a few simple lifestyle changes.
There are no hard and fast rules for determining your risk of feather duvet lung, Dr. Culver says. A lot of factors are at play, from how intense the exposure is to how long you’ve been living with feather-type irritants. You can also live with an irritant for some time before the condition actually develops.
Ultimately, most interstitial lung diseases are rare, says Dr. Culver.
“A lot of it comes down to genetics and having the right environmental irritants to set up the problems.” Dr. Culver says.
Advertisement
Learn more about our editorial process.
Advertisement
If you’re feeling short of breath, sleep can be tough — propping yourself up or sleeping on your side may help
Research is limited on whether the supplement can help you snooze, and there may be better options
Dry air and acid reflux are just two of the many possible causes of your scratchy throat
You’re more likely to be allergic to the debris that came in with this festive evergreen
Certain medicines and home remedies like ginger, honey and thyme can help calm a cough
Walking pneumonia is milder and doesn’t always require medication — but it’s also highly contagious
Changing hormones, mental health issues and a higher risk for sleep disorders can all impact women’s sleep needs
Nighttime asthma attacks can be due to acid reflux, allergens and hormonal changes, but treatment can help prevent them
When you get bogged down with mental tasks, you can experience mood changes, sleeplessness and more
You can alternate these OTCs to help with pain management and fever reduction
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is all the activity we do that’s not technically exercise but is still important to your health and well-being