Any idea what could cause 'patch' on lung?

[grimbletart]

I had a bad reaction to anti-malarials whilst in southern Africa five years ago. Because of the symptoms (before they knew what was causing them) I had an ECG and a lung X ray.

As an incidental finding the consultant said there were a couple of patches on one lung and asked if I was a smoker. I'm a lifelong non-smoker. Then he said it was possibly consistent with chronic bronchitis.

I've had one attack of acute bronchitis in the 1980s after severe flu - none before, none since. I've never had a chest infection or any lung problems and don't cough. A lung function test when I had a job medical in the 1980s was pretty rubbish and I was asked then if I was a smoker. It was also rubbish recently when I became curious and tried my DH's spirometer.

However, I have no breathlessness, have regularly run half marathons, go to the gym, can run up four flights of stairs with ease, have enormous stamina and absolutely no signs of illness whatsoever. I should add that I am 72, so all round pretty fit.

I am not worried at all, merely curious and at a loose end for half an hour.

The only possible thing I can think of was that I was terribly ill with whooping cough as a 3 month old baby and wonder if this could cause lung damage that I have adapted to over the years so it doesn't affect me. But I didn't think whooping cough would cause lung damage.

Anyone got any ideas that would solve this puzzle?

My dad had this; turned out he'd had TB when he was little. So it's eminently possible that a childhood lung condition caused the shadow/patch.

Viral infections can cause them as well, they can go away of their own accord.

Whooping cough is pretty well known to cause long term lung scar especially if you were tiny at the time.

My DFather had pleurisy and that has left scarring on his lung.

Thanks so much all. Looks like whooping cough is it then. When I googled whooping cough most of the sites say lung damage is rare. Also looks then as if it affected my lungs in relation to lung function tests but that I adapted to the lung capacity problem, maybe because the damage was done so early that I have always lived with it.