Genetic diseases are passed down from parent to child through defective genes. Genes, the basic unit of heredity, carry the sequences of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) which is responsible for determining the characteristics a person will exhibit....
A variety of genetic disorders can affect lung structure and function. The severity of these disorders depends on the degree to which lung function is impaired. Hereditary lung diseases such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, cystic fibrosis,...
Numerous diseases are associated with a low blood protein count. According to the MedlinePlus website, albumin is a protein manufactured by the liver. Albumin is the main protein in the plasma component of blood, which is called serum. Albumin...
Genetic diseases are those that are passed down from parent to child through defective genes. Genes are the units of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) that carry the code for a specific trait. Defects in genes that code for specific proteins and...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to several different lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, among others, any of which ultimately damage the lungs so that breathing becomes difficult. Because it is not a...
Protein deficiency diseases are conditions resulting in low levels of particular proteins. The cause of protein deficiency diseases is often genetic, meaning that a person inherits a faulty or missing gene from a parent. There are several...
Blood is composed of several factors, including red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma. The plasma, which accounts for more than half the volume of blood, is the water component and contains both electrolytes and soluble proteins. The...
The University of Illinois Medical Center (UIMC) lists the functions of the liver as making bile, attaching fats to carriers, transporting and storing energy, storing sugars, making proteins, storing vitamins and some types of minerals, making...
The lungs are made up of a number of tissue types that facilitate inspiration, the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air and the bloodstream, and expiration of carbon dioxide. Lungs connect to the windpipe, or trachea, by a number...
Each cell in the human body contains about 25,000 to 35,000 genes, which carry deoxyribose nucleic acid, or DNA, which determines each characteristic a person will possess, according to the Nemours Foundation. Damage to the DNA causes the gene to...
Liver cirrhosis is the last stage of liver disease. By this time, the liver has suffered repeated injury. It is finally at the point where the damage is usually irreversible. The most common causes of liver cirrhosis in the United States are...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of lung diseases that causes limited airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD reduces the amount of oxygen that goes into the blood, and less oxygen makes it difficult for the heart to...
Proteins perform critically important functions in your body. The cytoskeleton is an internal protein network that maintains cellular shape and physical integrity. Actin and myosin filaments allow your muscles to contract. Hemoglobin transports...
When a patient's liver is failing and all medical treatments have ceased working, the next step may be a liver transplant. The patient receiving the transplant must meet certain criteria before she can get a new liver match.
Emphysema causes a permanent change in the structure of the lung, impeding the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Smoking most often causes emphysema, but in rare cases, heredity causes an impaired immune response. Symptoms during end stage...
Several lung diseases may be caused by protein-related problems. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, there are numerous types of lung problems that require the attention of a physician or other qualified health care...
You may think with health conditions like COPD, tendinitis and arthritis, exercise would not be advised. However, exercise can actually improve these conditions, if done carefully and following your doctor's orders. Exercise has specific...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Asthma and alpha-1 related emphysema are also categorized under the term COPD under certain circumstances. Symptoms include...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, is a group of chronic lung diseases that obstructs air intake. Approximately 12 million Americans have COPD. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated one in 20...
According to the American Medical Association, in an average lifespan of 75 years, a human being will breathe in and out more than 8 million cubic feet of air. Because breathing is essentially an unconscious process, it's only when it becomes...
There are many types of lung problems, ranging from those which are present from birth to those caused by infections that can develop at any age. Generally there are multiple contributing factors to a disease. One particular disease may have a...
Pulmonary lung disease refers to disorders that obstruct the airways, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These diseases fall under the category of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a progressive disease that is treatable but...
Signs and symptoms of cirrhosis vary between the different stages and may be undetected until after the initial stage. Biological factors may play a part in inheriting cirrhosis, but that is rare. Behavioral factors play the biggest role. Knowing...
Chronic liver disease is the 10th most common cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Chronic liver disease is actually a general term applied to many disorders of the liver, including hepatitis, which...
The level of carbon dioxide in the blood is indicative of the health of the acid/base balance of the blood. Both acidic and alkaline conditions can cause an abnormally high carbon dioxide level in a blood test. Carbon Dioxide--also known as...
Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disorder that manifests as lung, liver and/or skin disease. Specifically, the most common effects are emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with fewer patients experiencing cirrhosis of the...
Obstructive lung disease makes breathing difficult and often gets progressively worse. People suffering from long-term coughing or mucus production may end up with chronic bronchitis. Destruction of the lung tissue over time causes emphysema....
Inflammation and narrowing of the airways causes wheezing; the result of a chain reaction of sorts as bronchioles and alveoli become inflamed and swollen, causing airway constriction, limiting the flow of air into the lungs. Wheezing often occurs...
Chronic pulmonary diseases refer to a conditions associated with difficulty breathing and coughing. These diseases typically last for more than three weeks and do not resolve on their own. Left untreated, these diseases can be potentially fatal....
