Browsing: Respiratory Illness
The page provides quick access to a list of common lungs and respiratory diseases, syndromes, health conditions, and other topics of health importance. The list is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to respective diseases sections that serve as a comprehensive and ultimate guide about the disease or health condition.
Each breath allows our lungs to inhale oxygen from the air and transport it to the bloodstream. Oxygen is highly essential for our body’s growth and function. People suffering from a lung disease may face difficulty in breathing, experience cough and cold, chest tightness and congestion in their lungs and throat.
Lung diseases indicate improper functioning of your respiratory system. Smoking, lung infections, environmental factors and hereditary concerns are the major factors responsible for lung diseases. These factors may damage the lungs and can lead to respiratory failure, in severe cases.
Lung diseases are the third most leading cause of death in the United States. They are responsible for about one in seven deaths worldwide and also a foremost cause of death among infants under the age of one. About 10 million people suffer from lung disease in the U.S.
Common lung diseases which severely affect the human population include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and infections like influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Asthma is associated with an increased production of mucus. People with asthma experience the symptoms when the airways swell, tighten or fill with the sticky secretions. Mild symptoms of asthma last a few minutes while severe symptoms last for hours or days. Mild symptoms may be annoying for a patient while the severe symptoms can cause major problems.
The patient along with doctor develops a personalized action plan. The plan describes the daily routine of the patient about asthma management and treatment, such as involving names of the medicines, dose and timing of the medicines etc. The plan also explains when to call the doctor or go to the emergency room.
Asthma is an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation of lungs causing airway obstruction. Airway obstruction happens when the inflammation causes the airways to narrow in response to allergens, exercise, and cold air etc. Childhood asthma can be managed by controlling inflammation with medications and avoiding triggers whenever possible.
An asthma attack happens when the symptoms of asthma worsen due to tightening of the muscles around the airways. The lining of the airways inflames, become swollen, and start producing thicker mucus causing the airways to shrink. Lesser amount of air gets in and out of the lungs and the thick mucus clogs the airways even further.
The exact cause of asthma is not yet clear but it occurs due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors. More people are developing asthma these days. It is mainly because of the lifestyle choices such as about housing, diet and environment. Many factors can trigger the symptoms of asthma.
End stage COPD symptoms are worse as compared to its initial stages. The most common symptom is feeling out of breath. Some people’s breathing might get worse much rapidly, over weeks or months. People with end stage COPD show a noticeable, gradual worsening of their breathing.
Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways in the lungs. The main function of airways is to allow air to come in and move out of the lungs. Asthma causes inflammation of the airways. This may result in sensitive inner walls of the airways to react strongly when something triggers.
Asthma cannot be cured completely but it can be managed by adopting certain treatments and medications. Other than medications, there are some natural home remedies which can be used at home to treat asthma. Some of the most common of them are discussed in this article such as herbs, easily available home foods etc.