Understand more about the disease that led to the death of the founder of Pão de Açúcar

Abilio Diniz, founder of a large retail chain, died this Sunday (18), due to a disease called infectious pneumonitis. It occurs due to exposure to substances that cause irritation to the lungs.

As reported in his medical report, his death was confirmed due to respiratory failure, caused by pneumonitis. Abilio was hospitalized for a month at the Albert Einstein hospital, in the south of São Paulo.Â

What is pneumonitis

Pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lungs that affects the interstitial part of the organ, the region between the pulmonary alveoli. The Alveoli are responsible for transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen.

When the disease reaches its most serious level, it can cause pulmonary fibrosis, that is, when scars are formed in the lungs, causing the tissue to become stiff, causing breathing difficulties for the patient, thus resulting in the condition of respiratory failure.Â

Difference between pneumonitis and pneumonia

It is worth mentioning that the difference between the two is due to the way each one reacts in our body. Pneumonia affects the alveoli, on the other hand, pneumonitis acts in another area, in the interstitium, which is between the alveoli.

A “Pneumonitis does not have bacteria or viruses, but it is caused by what we call hypersensitivity. This occurs when the lung is exposed to a substance that is inhaled. There are cases in which the disease is caused by inhalation of spray, oil or anything that can cause irritation of an inflammatory nature”, said Margareth Dalcolmo, pulmonologist and president of SBPT. A

_{Abilio Diniz (Photo: reproduction/exame.com)}

Symptoms of pneumonitisA

We can say that some symptoms of pneumonitis are cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, pain when breathing, irritation in the nose and throat, weakness, fever and abdominal pain.Â

Who was Abilio DinizA

He became known for being one of the most important and remembered Brazilian businessmen, more precisely for the Pão de Açucar group, which began in 1984, when Abilio and his father opened a sweet shop in Rio de Janeiro. This bakery later expanded throughout Brazil. In 1997 Abilio had his first solo command when he opened Jumbo, the first hypermarket in Brazil.Â

After five years, through a loan from BNDS, Abilio bought Eletroradiobraz, and since then, he has never stopped expanding his business, always following the market to innovate and grow.Â

_{Abilio Diniz in front of the first Jumbo Hypermarket (Photo: reproduction/passoapassoempreendedor.com)}

Proof of his innovations was the fact that the first supermarket opened in a shopping mall and 24-hour stores began with the businessman's group.Â

In 2013, Diniz left Pão de Açúcar and took charge of BRF, which became one of the largest food companies in the world. Soon after, he started an investment company, in which he bought shares in Carrefour.Â

In 2022, Abilio lost his son João Paulo, who suffered a heart attack at the age of 58, in the city of Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro. This Sunday, Abilio left his wife and five children.

Featured photo: Abilio Diniz (reproduction/cnnbrasil.com)