Asthma is a chronic inflammatory process that causes the airways of your lungs to swell and narrow. Your airways are the breathing tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. This inflammation (swelling) causes the airways to make thick secretions (mucus) and the muscles around your airways get very tight (broncho-constriction). The swelling, mucus and tight muscles make your airways narrower than normal, making breathing difficult.

Asthma is characterized by reversible and variable airway narrowing due to its responsiveness to multiple external stimuli in which genetic interact with environmental factors. It leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing particularly at night or early in the morning. Once you are diagnosed with asthma, it is very important that you work closely with your Lung Doctor to control it better.

For more information, please read and download the Asthma Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic lung condition characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. COPD involves Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema.

Chronic Bronchitis is characterized by the production of sputum most of the days for at least three months in at least two consecutive years. It results in inflammation (“swelling”) of larger airways, with airways glands hypertrophy (overgrowth) and mucus cells hyperplasia (increase in number or volume). Commonly patients complain of shortness of breath on exertion, chest tightness, wheezes, chronic cough and lower respiratory tract infections. Smoking is the main cause of COPD and your risk of developing it increases as you continue to smoke.

For more information, please read and download the COPD Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Emphysema is a chronic, preventable and treatable disease; it is considered part of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and is characterized by an abnormal, permanent enlargement of the distal airways, accompanied by destruction of their walls and without obvious fibrosis (scar). The air sacs (alveoli) and small airways are damaged and lose their elasticity. Air becomes trapped in these air sacs making it difficult to breathe or empty air out of the lungs.

Cigarette smoking is the single most important identifiable factor in COPD and Emphysema. It also can cause exacerbations of shortness of breath on exertion, chest tightness, wheezes, and cough.

For more information, please read and download the COPD exacerbations Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Bronchiectasis is characterized by damaged and enlarged airways (windpipes), usually, they are dilated with thick-wall airways as a result of chronic inflammation (swelling) and damage. It is caused by multiple conditions which include lung infections, immunological defects, cystic fibrosis or inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis. It could also be related to foreign body inhalation or GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease).

Frequently patients complain of chronic production of purulent sputum, persistent bacterial colonization, and recurrent respiratory tract infections or pneumonia.

For more information, please read and download the Bronchiectasis Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. There are two main types of lung cancer non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Typically this form of cancer is caused by exposure to radon, exposure to carcinogens, and outdoor air pollution.

Typically there are two major groups of Lung Cancer, Small Cell Carcinoma (SCLC), and Non-Small Cell Carcinoma (NSCLC).  SCLC tend to grow more quickly than NSCLC. The symptoms of lung cancer can vary from person to person, ranging from no symptoms at all to a cough, hoarse voice, weight loss, feeling tired all the time, coughing up blood, etc.

The management of lung cancer is mainly by an Oncologist. However, sometimes it involves Radiation Oncologist or a Chest Surgeon.

A pulmonary or lung nodule is a small, usually round or oval-shaped growth in the lung. Nodules are frequently well-defined “lung spots” that measure 3 cm or less. Lung masses are also “lung spots” but they are larger in size, usually they are larger than 3 cm.

Pulmonary nodules or masses can be either malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). Primary lung cancer is the most common cause for malignant nodules and benign nodules can be caused by scars or old infections. More than half of all solitary lung nodules are benign. It is not uncommon that many of these lesions are found as “incidental findings” when your doctor was looking for something else in a Chest X-ray or CT scan.

It is not uncommon that many of these lesions are found as “incidental findings” when your doctor was looking for something else in a Chest X-ray or CT scan. The management of these “lung spots” depend on their characteristics, location, growth velocity and size.

For more information, please read and download the Lung Nodule Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Pulmonary fibrosis describes a group of lung diseases which are chronic and progressive. It is considered an interstitial lung disease where lung tissue becomes damaged, the air sacs (alveoli) are thickened and scarred (fibrosis). The incidence in the USA is about 15,000 to 30,000 cases per year. This disease generally affects patients in their sixth decade of life with slight male predominance.

As a result of this process of fibrosis, the tissue is thicker, it makes it more difficult for the lungs to work properly, and therefore harder to breathe commonly on exercise. Patients may also develop dry cough, fatigue, and low blood oxygen levels, which eventually puts an added strain on your heart and may lead to heart failure if these low-levels oxygen levels are left untreated.

For more information, please read and download the Pulmonary Fibrosis Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Pneumonia is typically an inflammation of the lung air sacs (alveoli) in response to an injury, like an infection. It could involve only one area of the lung or multiple areas as in “multilobar” pneumonia. It is frequently caused by a virus or bacteria that patients might have been exposed to in the environment or is passed to you from another person, whether from direct contact (hands) or inhaling droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing.

It is more common in the elderly and young patients, however, it can happen at any age. People who smoke and second-hand smokers are at higher risk of developing pneumonia. Typically patients develop fever, chills, difficulty breathing, low appetite and energy and also they develop a purulent cough.

For more information, please read and download the Pneumonia Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition characterized by repetitive collapse of the upper airway (back of the throat) and tongue during sleep, resulting in changes in ventilation (air cannot flow normally into the lungs) and intermittent low levels of oxygen (hypoxemia) which may result in daytime sleepiness, cognitive impairment, and cardiovascular complications.

Apnea means “no breathing”, therefore in OSA, you may stop breathing for short periods of time. Risks factors related to OSA are patients who are overweight, people with large tonsils; it is more common in men and women after menopause. The frequent symptoms are loud snoring, gasping and choking sounds, frequent awakening from sleep, waking up feeling fatigue, morning headache, daytime drowsiness, poor memory and even mood swings. OSA is diagnosed by a sleep study, which is generally done at a sleep center.

For more information, please read and download the OSA Fact Sheet from ATS (American Thoracic Society).