Welcome...I'm here to explain my experiences and share what I've learned in regards to my illness Fibrosing Mediastinitis.      

           Fibrosing mediastinitis, also known as sclerosing mediastinitis or mediastinal fibrosis, is a disorder characterized by an excessive fibrotic reaction in the mediastinum which can result in compromise of airways, great vessels, and other mediastinal structures. The condition usually is a sequel of histoplasmosis, and its morbidity is directly related to the location and extent of fibrosis within the mediastinum. Fibrosing Mediastinitis can be either idiopathic (arising spontaneously) or from an abnormal immunologic response to Histoplasma capsulatum Infection with H. capsulatum as the cause in the vast majority of patients. It begins as a pulmonary process and typically disseminates to mediastinal lymph nodes and other reticuloendothelial organs before specific cell-mediated immunity develops and contains the fungus. Depending upon the inoculum and the extent of host response, the involved mediastinal lymph nodes can enlarge and coalesce into an inflamed caseous mass referred to as a mediastinal granuloma, or less commonly can lead to a sclerosing process called fibrosing mediastinitis. It is unclear why a minority of patients infected with H. capsulatum proceed to develop fibrosing mediastinitis, but genetic influences on the immune response may play a role.