| Obstructive Diseases |
- Emphysema: it is often caused by exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke
- Bronchitis: it's an inflammation of the bronchi, which can be either acute (usually caused by viruses or bacteria) or chronic (not necessarily caused by infection, it's generally part of a syndrome called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Asthma: it's a chronic illness involving the respiratory system in which the airway occasionally constricts, becomes inflamed, and is lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to one or more triggers.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): it's a group of diseases characterized by the pathological limitation of airflow in the airway that is not fully reversible, and often due to tobacco smoking, besides to other airborne irritants such as coal dust, asbestos or solvents. COPD is the umbrella term for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a range of other lung disorders
- Bronchiectasis: it's a disease that causes localized, irreversible dilatation of part of the bronchial tree, usually resulting from necrotizing bacterial infections. Involved bronchi are dilated, inflamed, and easily collapsible
- Byssinosis: commonly called "Brown Lung", it's an occupational lung disease caused by exposure to cotton dust in inadequately ventilated working environment, which can ultimately result in narrowing of the trachea in the lungs, destruction of lung tissue and death from infection or respiratory failure
- Bronchiolitis: is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs
- Asbestosis: it's a chronic inflammatory medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs that occurs after long-term, heavy exposure to asbestos. It causes severe dyspnea (shortness of breath) and increases the risk of development of lung cancer
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| Restrictive Diseases |
- Fibrosis: it's the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue as a reparative or reactive process, as opposed to a formation of fibrous tissue as a normal constituent of an organ or tissue
- Sarcoidosis: aka called sarcoid (from the greek 'sark' and 'oid' meaning "flesh-like") or Besnier-Boeck disease, it's an immune system disorder characterised by non-caseating granulomas (that most commonly arises in young adults
- Alveolar Damage
- Pleural effusion: excess fluid that accumulates in the pleural cavity, the fluid-filled space that surrounds the lungs
- Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis: it's an inflammation of the alveoli within the lung caused by hypersensitivity to inhaled organic dusts. Sufferers are commonly exposed to the dust by their occupation or hobbies.
- Asbestosis
- Pleurisy: aka pleuritis, it's an inflammation of the pleura caused by either infectious or non-infectious agents, which can cause painful respiration and other symptoms
- Lung Cancer: where tissue in the lung grows out of control. This leads to invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs (metastasis). The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, cough (including coughing up blood), and weight loss
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| Infectious Diseases |
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: it's the illness caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract: nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, or bronchi
- Lower Respiratory Tract Infections or Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis: it's a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria (mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but also by M. bovis, M. africanum, M. canetti, and M. microti). Tuberculosis most commonly attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, bones, joints and even the skin
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| Vascular Diseases |
- Pulmonary Edema: it's swelling and/or fluid accumulation in the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure. It is due to either failure of the heart to remove fluid from the lung circulation ("cardiogenic pulmonary edema"), or due to a direct injury to the lung parenchyma ("noncardiogenic pulmonary edema")
- Pulmonary Embolism: it's blockage of the pulmonary artery (or one of its branches), usually when a venous thrombus (blood clot from a vein), becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. This process is termed thromboembolism.
- Pulmonary Hypertension: pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery or lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion.
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