Exposure to pigeons can lead to chronic lung diseases: Delhi hospital study

Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital has established a link between prolonged exposure to pigeons and severe lung diseases

Doctors at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have identified a connection between prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers and chronic lung diseases. A recent case study by doctors warns that feeding pigeons and close proximity to them can pose significant health risks for humans.

The doctors treated an 11-year-old boy from Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave who exhibited severe respiratory distress linked to his contact with pigeon feathers and droppings. This case underscores a lesser-known health hazard, as reported by The Times of India.

The boy had initially reported coughing, which seemed usual at first, quickly requiring urgent care at the hospital. Medical examinations revealed that the boy had developed lung inflammation and opacities that were consistent with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP).   

Physicians found severe respiratory complications, requiring urgent medical care, necessitated by an immune-mediated condition caused by an allergic reaction to pigeon features and droppings. 

Rare lung disease affects Delhi child

According to experts, HP is not usually observed in children, and occurs in only four among one million children. HP is one of the diseases of long-term interstitial lung disease (ILD) in children, which may lead to progressive and irreversible scarring of lung tissue, hindering the affected person’s ability to breathe freely. 

The patient at Sir Gangaram Hospital had to be administered oxygen therapy using a high-flow system and put under steroid treatment. The team of doctors successfully cured the inflammation in the boy’s lungs, allowing him to breathe normally again. 

The doctors emphasised the need for awareness about potential environmental triggers, such as bird droppings and feathers. 

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis cases amid pigeon populations

A steep spike in hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) cases across many Indian cities in recent years has been linked to a rising pigeon population. The bird droppings come laced with fungi, which if inhaled for some time, can affect the immune system. The consequences can lead the patients to depend on a consistent supply of oxygen and even require them to go for a lung transplant in some cases. 

“There are more than 300 reasons to get this hypersensitivity pneumonia and [exposure to] pigeons is one of them,” CBC News quoted Mumbai-based doctor Pralhad Prabhudesai as saying. “Most importantly, this is the most common cause of the disease in our country.” 

Pigeon feeding tradition poses health risks

Feeding the birds is a cultural tradition in India and people are often motivated by their religion, with the practice thought to bring blessings. It is, therefore, hard to convince people to avoid close contact with the pigeons. However, the awareness has started to increase over the years with many people developing respiratory complications. 

Experts are warning people about the risk of zoonotic disease transmission from animals to humans, and close association with pigeons can only exacerbate such risks. Apart from many types of respiratory complications, pigeon exposure can cause gastrointestinal infections, be carriers of certain allergens, ticks and mites, causing a host of illnesses among humans.