Breathing is both a controlled and automatic gesture. It is something often taken for granted until it becomes difficult to do. Some lung diseases are a result of poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, while others are an inherited problem. Many chronic lung diseases manifest in a similar fashion, with narrowing of the airways and resulting weakening of the lungs.
Anatomy
The trachea is the middle part of the airway which carries air from the nose and mouth down into the lungs. At the trachea the airway splits off into two large airways, one into each lung, called bronchi the bronchi branch into smaller bronchioles then down to alveoli, according to the National Institutes of Health. The alveoli are small air sacks grouped together like bunches of grapes. At this level the cell wall is only one cell thick and allows for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.
Causes
Tuberculosis, a bacterium spread through the air, can infect the lungs leading to chronic lung disease, according to the American Lung Association. Other lung diseases are genetic, inherited, meaning there is not much that can be done to avoid the disease. The National Institutes of Health state asthma tends to run in families and is easily treatable with medications and avoidance of triggers to an attack. Cystic fibrosis, on the other hand is far more serious. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and most affected individuals only live into their mid-30s.
Environmental exposure can also lead to some lung diseases. Medical News Today published a study in May of 2008 about the effects of air pollution on the lungs. Exposure to air pollutants, even short-term, leads to increased inflammation in the lungs of even healthy individuals. The National Institutes of Health states says that cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD.
Inflammation
Inflammation causes swelling of the cells of the lungs. Swelling narrows the airways, making it harder to exchange air. Long-term inflammation leads to a thickening of the airway walls. This thickening is a common problem in people with COPD, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Mucus
Normally, a small amount of mucus present in the airway. In many types of lung disease this mucus thickens, which narrows the airways making it harder to breathe. If the mucus is really thick and sticky like it is in cystic fibrosis, it can clog the airway leading to infections and other life threatening conditions, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Loss of Elasticity
The alveoli are the smallest part of the lungs, yet the most important since they are responsible for the oxygen exchange. In some lung diseases such as COPD, the alveoli can become stretched out and damaged, much like a balloon which has been inflated too many times. This makes it harder for the air to be pushed out and makes for a poor exchange of oxygen, according to the National Institutes of Health.
