Lung Disease: Conditions

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Lung Conditions

Allergies

Allergies are reactions caused by the body's immune system as it responds to substances in the environment. They may occur in response to different allergens like food, pollen, dust mites, animals, insect stings, or medication.

Allergies can affect different parts of the body like the eyes, nose, or skin.
Other conditions like asthma, which affects the lungs, is closely related to allergies but have slightly different underlying cause.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. Your airways are tubes that carry air to your lungs. If you have asthma, your airways' walls become sore and swollen, making them very sensitive. They may be reacting strongly to allergies. When your airways react, they get tighter, and your lungs get less air.

Asthma symptoms include: 

• Wheezing
• Coughing, especially early in the morning or at night
• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath

Not all people who have asthma have these symptoms, and symptoms don't always mean that you have asthma. Your doctor will diagnose asthma based on lung function tests, your medical history, and a physical exam. 

When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is the most common life-shortening genetic disease among Caucasians in the United States. While substantial improvements in quality and length of life for cystic fibrosis patients have been achieved over the past four decades, the median survival age remains less than half of that for the general population. Therefore, aggressive care, new therapies, and new therapeutic targets are still in need of identification. Our team actively contributes to the health and well-being of patients with cystic fibrosis by establishing the highest standards of clinical care.

Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) describes many disorders, most of which cause progressive lung tissue scarring. The scarring connected with interstitial lung disease ultimately affects a person's ability to breathe and get adequate oxygen into the bloodstream.

Interstitial lung disease may be caused by long-term exposure to hazardous materials, such as asbestos. Some autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also cause interstitial lung disease. In some situations, however, the causes remain unknown.

Once scarring occurs, it is generally irreversible. Medications may slow the damage of ILD, but many people never regain full use of their lungs.

Nose and Sinus Disorders

Chronic sinusitis affects over 30 million people in the U.S. It occurs when the spaces in the nose and head (sinuses) become inflamed and swollen.
This interferes with mucus drainage and creates a stuffy nose.

Chronic sinusitis may be brought on by an infection, growths in the sinuses (nasal polyps), or inflammation of the lining of your sinuses. Also called chronic rhinosinusitis, the condition can affect both adults and children.

Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the heart-to-lung system that delivers fresh blood to the heart while returning used blood to the lungs.

Unlike systemic blood pressure (the force of your blood moving through the blood vessels in your body), pulmonary blood pressure reflects the pressure the heart exerts to pump blood from the heart through the lungs' arteries. In other words, it focuses on the pressure of the blood flow in your lungs.

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