If an autoimmune disorder causes chronic inflammation in the lungs, damaging alveolar walls and reducing surface area, which consequence follows?

💡 Explanation

Autoimmune-driven inflammation causes alveolar damage, thickening the alveolar walls, and reducing the surface area available for gas exchange. This impairs oxygen diffusion, because the diffusion capacity is directly related to surface area and inversely related to membrane thickness; therefore, reduced oxygen diffusion results, rather than enhanced gas exchange or increased erythrocyte production, which are unrelated to alveolar wall integrity.

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