Diffuse Alveolar Damage of the Lungs in Forensic Autopsies: Assessment of Histopathological Stages and Causes of Death

Table 1

Distribution of the diffusion intensity of histopathological lesions according to diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) phase.

Histopathological lesion	Stage	Diffusion				Total; 𝑛 (%)	P value
		None	Mild	Medium	Intense
Alveolar exudate/oedema; (𝑛=61)	Exudative	1	15	32	2	49 (98)	0.003
	Proliferative	4	8	4	0	12 (75)
Alveolar acute inflammation; (𝑛=52)	Exudative	7	39	3	1	43 (86)	0.16
	Proliferative	7	9	0	0	9 (56)
Alveolar fibrin; (𝑛=49)	Exudative	17	25	8	0	33 (66)	0.01
	Proliferative	0	9	6	1	16 (100)
Neutrophilic abscesses; (𝑛=5)	Exudative	47	2	0	1	3 (6)	0.064
	Proliferative	14	0	2	0	2 (13)
Histiocyte desquamation; (𝑛=64)	Exudative	1	33	15	1	49 (98)	0.037
	Proliferative	1	4	10	1	15 (94)
Alveolar epithelial cell desquamation; (𝑛=64)	Exudative	2	35	12	1	48 (96)	0.061
	Proliferative	0	6	9	1	16 (100)
Eosinophilia; (𝑛=1)	Exudative	49	0	1	0	1 (2)	0.75
	Proliferative	16	0	0	0	0 (0)
Hyaline membrane; (𝑛=39)	Exudative	23	12	14	1	27 (54)	0.42
	Proliferative	4	6	6	0	12 (75)
Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia; (𝑛=26)	Exudative	32	14	4	0	18 (36)	0.41
	Proliferative	8	5	3	0	8 (50)
Alveolar chronic inflammation; (𝑛=42)	Exudative	22	28	0	0	28 (56)	0.20
	Proliferative	2	14	0	0	14 (88)
Alveolar septal fibrosis; (𝑛=8)	Exudative	47	3	0	0	3 (6)	0.017
	Proliferative	11	5	0	0	5 (11)
Alveolar organising fibrosis; (𝑛=16)	Exudative	50	0	0	0	0 (0)	0.00
	Proliferative	0	13	3	0	16 (100)