What is COPD? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a progressive, often irreversible condition of the distal airways (bronchi and bronchioles) and lung tissue. The two main conditions that make up COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema and since most patients have both conditions concurrently, COPD is a more >> Read More ...
What is lung disease? The term lung disease is a broad term that encompasses various pathologies that involve the lungs and related structures. Other organs and systems may also be involved, but the lung disease is often the primary disorder. At times the problem may lie in the airways or blood vessels of the lung >> Read More ...
Sudden and severe breathlessness is extremely distressing if it arises for no known reason and persists for even a few minutes. Breathlessness includes shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, labored breathing or discomfort when breathing that restricts the breathing rate and depth. While an acute shortness of breath is >> Read More ...
What is lung consolidation? Consolidation of the lung is simply a “solidification” of the lung tissue due to accumulation of solid and liquid material in the air spaces that would have normally been filled by gas. It is also known as pulmonary consolidation. The most common cause of consolidation is pneumonia >> Read More ...
Lung nodules or pulmonary nodules may be routinely discovered on a chest x-ray or thoracic CT scan. A patient may be asymptomatic or sought medical attention for some other condition when a nodule is identified on follow-up imaging studies. Screening may also be done for immigration purposes, where a person from a high >> Read More ...
What is a lung nodule? A lung nodule, also known as a pulmonary nodule, is a a round or opaque opaque mass in the lung that is seen in a chest X-ray or thoracic CT scan. It is more accurately defined as a discrete nodule that is equal to or less than 3 centimeters in diameter. Larger opacities are known as growths or >> Read More ...
An infection of the lung may be due to a number of bacterial and viral causes, with fungal infections being less common and more frequently seen in immunocompromised patients. Lungs infections may be acute, lasting less than 3 weeks or chronic, persisting for more than 3 weeks. Most lung infections start as a respiratory >> Read More ...
The color of sputum or phlegm, which is the mucus and sometimes pus discharge expectorated from the respiratory tract, is often an indication of the type of respiratory disease that gives rise to sputum production. By examining the type of sputum and noting the color as well as the presenting signs and symptoms, a >> Read More ...
What is sputum? Sputum or phlegm is the discharge that is expectorated from the respiratory system. It is a combination of mucus produced by the airways combined with saliva from the mouth. It also contains other components including microorganisms, whole cells (like the immune cells), debris and dust even if there is no >> Read More ...
A dry cough is a cough where no mucus or very little mucus is expectorated (coughed up). This is known as a non-productive cough. Most conditions that may cause a cough will present as a dry cough in the early stages. As the disease progresses, the productive nature of the cough will become evident. Coughing is a result of >> Read More ...
