Lung Diseases
Why
are the lungs important?
What types of diseases can affect the lungs?
What causes lung disease?
Which lung diseases are the most common in women?
How is asthma diagnosed and treated?
How is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) diagnosed and treated?
How is lung cancer diagnosed and treated?
What can I do to lower my risk of lung disease?
Why are
the lungs important?
Our lungs allow us to breath and get oxygen into the bloodstream
and the cells of our bodies. During a normal day, we breathe nearly
25,000 times, and take in (or inhale) large amounts of air. The
air we take in is mostly oxygen and nitrogen. But air also has things
in it that can hurt our lungs - bacteria, viruses, tobacco smoke,
car exhaust, and other air pollutants. Lung disease is not only
a killer, it can be life-long (or chronic). More than 30 million
Americans are now living with lung disease.
What types
of diseases can affect the lungs?
There
are many types of lung diseases. The following diseases that
can affect the lungs are grouped according to how they affect the
lungs.
Asthma,
chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cystic fibrosis. These all
affect a person's airways and limit or block the flow of air in
or out of the lungs.
Respiratory
failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, and pulmonary hypertension
(high blood pressure). These are caused by problems with the
normal gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs.
Pneumonia
and tuberculosis (TB). Bacteria or viruses can cause these diseases
that affect the membrane (or pleura) that surrounds the lungs. Other
infections can also affect the pleura.
Lung
cancer. The number one cause of lung cancer is smoking. And
the number of women with lung cancer is rising, particularly in
younger women. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of American
women.
Stiffening
and scarring of lungs. The spaces between the tissues of the
lungs (called the interstitium) can become stiff and scarred. This
can be caused by drugs, poisons, infections, or radiation.
Lung
disorders from unusual atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressures
that are not typical can cause lung disorders, or lung problems.
This includes high altitudes (like in the mountains) where the air
has less oxygen, or deep water where there is more atmospheric pressure
and higher nitrogen levels in the blood.
Common symptoms, or signs, of lung disease include trouble breathing
and shortness of breath, while feeling as if you are not getting
enough air. People often complain of a long-term cough that will
not go away, coughing up blood, and having pain when inhaling (breathing
in) or exhaling (breathing out).
What causes
lung disease?
Known
causes of lung disease include:
Smoking.
If you smoke, talk with your health care provider about the steps
you can take to quit smoking. If you live with someone who smokes,
talk with him or her about quitting. Being around second-hand smoke
also increases your chances of getting lung disease. Bear in mind
that smoking includes not just cigarettes, but cigars and pipes
as well.
Exposure
to radon gas. Radon, a gas that occurs in the soil and rocks,
can damage the lungs, which may lead to lung cancer. People who
work in mines may be exposed to radon, and in some parts of the
U.S., radon is found in houses. You can measure radon in your home
with a kit you can buy at most hardware stores.
Asbestos.
Asbestos is natural fiber that comes from minerals. The fibers tend
to break apart easily, into small particles that can float in the
air and stick to clothes. When a person inhales these particles,
they can stick in the lungs, damage cells, and lead to lung cancer.
Asbestos workers in jobs like shipbuilding, asbestos mining and
manufacturing, car repair (brake repair), and insulation work should
wear protective clothing. Asbestos workers who also smoke have an
even higher risk for lung cancer.
Pollution.
Research shows a link between lung cancer and certain air pollutants,
such as car exhaust. More studies are needed to find out if pollution
causes lung cancer.
Some
lung diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB),
put a person more at risk for lung cancer. Lung cancer tends to
develop in the areas of the lung that are scarred from TB.
Which lung
diseases are the most common in women?
The
most common lung diseases in women include:
Asthma
- a disease in which the lung airways are inflamed (swollen)
and react easily to certain triggers like viruses, smoke, dust,
mold, animal hair, roaches, or pollen. The inflamed airways get
narrow and make it hard to breathe. You can have chest tightness,
wheezing, shortness of breath, or a cough that never seems to go
away or gets worse over time. More women than ever before are dying
from asthma because more women have taken up smoking in the last
20 years.
Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - a term used to describe
two closely related lung diseases, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Often, people have these diseases together. Chronic bronchitis is
an inflammation that ends up scarring the lining of the bronchial
tubes (tubes that make up the inside of the lungs). Women have higher
rates of chronic bronchitis than men. Emphysema causes the walls
between the air sacs within the lungs to become weak and break,
making it hard for you to feel like you get enough air. While more
men suffer from emphysema than women, it is increasing in women.
Symptoms can include a cough that never seems to go away or that
gets worse over time, increased mucus, a frequent need to clear
your throat, shortness of breath, or trouble exercising.
Lung
cancer - when abnormal (malignant) cells divide with control
in the tissues of the lung and also can invade nearby tissues or
spread through the bloodstream and to other parts of the body. There
are two types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer (cancer
cells form in the tissue of the lungs) and small cell lung cancer
(most often found in people who smoke or who used to smoke cigarettes).
See your health care provider if you have any of these signs of
lung cancer: a cough that doesn't go away or gets worse over time;
constant chest pain; coughing up blood; hoarseness or wheezing;
on-going problems with bronchitis or pneumonia; swelling of the
neck and face; loss of appetite or weight loss; and extreme fatigue.
How is asthma
diagnosed and treated?
Asthma
can de diagnosed with these tests: spirometry (measures how
open your airways are); chest x-ray (looks at the condition of your
lungs); and electrocardiogram (sees if heart disease is causing
your symptoms).
While
asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed. You can often control
asthma by taking any prescribed medicines that open the lung airways
and treat inflammation. Types of asthma medicines include bronchodilators
(to prevent asthma attacks and to stop attacks after they have started)
and anti-inflammatories (to help control airway inflammation and
prevent attacks). Common anti-inflammatory drugs are cromolyn, nedocromil,
and corticosteroids. Anti-leukotrienes are oral medicines used to
treat chronic asthma by fighting the inflammatory response to allergies.
If you have asthma, it is important to stay away from triggers and
see your provider regularly.
If
you are pregnant, it is very important to manage your symptoms to
prevent an attack. Asthma tends to worsen in the late second and
early third trimesters, but some women may have fewer symptoms during
the last four weeks of pregnancy. Not taking care of your asthma
can threaten your baby's growth and survival. Besides taking your
medications and avoiding triggers, you can get a flu shot after
the first three months of pregnancy, and exercise only moderately,
under the supervision of your health care provider regularly.
How is chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosed and treated?
To
diagnose COPD, your health care provider will ask you about
your family and personal history, and do a physical exam. She or
he may ask you to have pulmonary function tests, which find out:
the amount of air in the lung (called lung volume); the rate of
oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange; and the amount of oxygen and
carbon dioxide in your blood. Lung volumes are measured by breathing
into and out of a device called a spirometer. Researchers are still
looking for a way to figure out a person's chances of developing
COPD, because none of the current tests find the disease before
lung damage that cannot be repaired occurs.
As
COPD gets worse over time, it can cause you to become unable to
carry out your daily routine. At the very least, it causes shortness
of breath that can make you need oxygen. Treatments can include
bronchodilators (drugs used to open up air passages in the lungs),
antibiotics, and exercise to strengthen muscles. Women with COPD
can also get help through pulmonary rehabilitation, a program that
helps people to cope physically and mentally with the disease. When
you have COPD, it is important not to smoke. Talk with your provider
if you do smoke and need help with quitting. For individuals with
severe symptoms, lung transplants may be an option. Lung volume
reduction surgery (a number of different types of surgeries that
removes part of the lung) also is showing promise for some individuals
in the last stages of emphysema.
How is lung
cancer diagnosed and treated?
Your
health care provider will look at your medical history, smoking
history, exposure to substances, and a family history of cancer.
You will also have a physical exam and maybe a chest x-ray and other
tests. Your provider may order a bronchoscopy. During this test,
a special instrument is inserted into your bronchial tubes to view
the tubes and take a biopsy (remove cells or tissue) to see if there
are cancer cells present.
As
with other types of cancer, lung cancer can be treated in a number
of different ways, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
The kind of treatment depends on the stage or extent of the cancer,
the individual's age, and overall health. Most lung cancer is hard
to treat. The best way to fight lung cancer begins when you are
young and well - by making the decision never to smoke.
What
can I do to lower my risk of lung disease?
You
can reduce your risk for getting lung disease. Things you can do
include:
Do
not smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products and quit if you do
smoke. Ask your health care provider for help with quitting smoking.
Try
to stay away from dust and irritants that can harm your lungs. If
you must work near them, wear devices like masks to protect yourself.
Have
a spirometry test done as often as your health care provider suggests.
This test looks at how much and how quickly you let out air after
a deep breath.
See
your health care provider right away if you are having trouble breathing,
having pain in the lungs, are coughing up blood, or have any of
the symptoms described in this FAQ.
For more information . . .
You can find out more about lung disease by contacting the National
Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) at (800) 994-9662 or the
following organizations:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Phone Number(s): (301) 592-8573
Internet Address: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm
American Lung Association
Phone Number(s): (800) 586 4872
Internet Address: http://www.lungs.org
The above information is presented with permission
of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and
Human Services
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