Lung Disease 101

Lungs are in charge of the process of gas interchange in the bloodstream. They allow oxygen to get into the blood’s red cells and provide a way for carbon dioxide to get out of the body and into the atmosphere.

Several factors can cause lungs to fail in the execution of this process. From congenital malformations and genetic anomalies to external factors such as tobacco, bacteria, pollution, viruses and many others can cause lung disease.

A lung disease can take several forms, from a simple cough that disappears by itself in a couple of days to life-threatening conditions such as emphysema or lung cancer.

General Statistics For Lung Diseases

Every year, about 342,000 Americans die of lung disease, making it America’s third killer ( responsible for 1 in 7 deaths). Also, most lung disease is chronic, and there are currently more than 35 million Americans living with chronic lung disease.

Causes And Risk Factors Of Getting Lung Diseases

As the term lung disease applies to more than one specific disease, causes can widely differ from one another. There are several types of lung disease, including obstructive lung diseases (like asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema), infections (like pneumonia and tuberculosis), fibrosis and sarcoidosis, lung cancer and more.

People living by industrial areas or areas with heavy pollution, smokers and glue and inhaled drugs (such as crack) abusers; are incredibly more likely to get lung disease than those who live in areas with good open spaces and don’t smoke.

General Symptoms Of Lung Diseases

As a general rule, every lung disease has a certain set of symptoms, which are common to all lung diseases.

These symptoms include cough, respiratory noises (from slight whispers to lung snores), and pain (that can be located in a certain body zone, mostly chest and back; or without a specific painful spot, like the typical whole-body pain present in people suffering from influenza).

In addition to these common symptoms, each lung disease can show its own set of specific symptoms, which helps doctors identify and categorize the lung disease and decide on an adequate treatment.

Possible Treatments Of Lung Diseases

Again, there is a specific curse of action to be taken to deal with each lung disease. Some of them are cured by administering antibiotics or fungicides.

Some of them are cured by surgically remove the obstruction to the airway. Some of them cannot be cured, and therefore treatment focuses on extending the lifetime of the patient and improving his quality of life.

It all depends on the type of lung disease and the specific characteristics of each patient.

Prevention Of Lung Diseases

Some lung diseases are caused by genetic anomalies or disorders, and therefore they cannot be prevented. However, there are a lot of lung diseases that can be prevented, and the advice on doing it is always the same: STOP SMOKING (If you are a smoker of course).

Cigarette smoke is one of the main causes of severe lung disease, and can also be an accelerator for those respiratory conditions not caused by it. There are more than a hundred hazardous components in each cigarette smoked, including several carcinogens and tissue hardeners. So, the better way to avoid exposure to those harmful agents is, again, to get rid of that nasty habit for life.

Lung Disease Archive’s Mission

My mission here is to educate people on the common lung diseases in an easy to read and understand format. A little disclaimer… All content on this web site may not be taken as formal medical advice. I recommend you consult your doctor before undertaking any form of medical treatment for your lung disease.

This site will be updated on a monthly basis. Please subscribe to my RSS feed via email or directly to your favorite feed reader.

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