Gastric reflux, medically known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, refers to a chronic disease in which stomach acid moves up the digestive tract. The Mayo Clinic says that signs of gastric reflux include chest pain, trouble swallowing, a...
Pneumonia is a condition where an infection enters the lungs and causes them to work harder effecting breathing and overall general health. Pneumonia can occur by itself, after another severe respiratory illness, a surgery or long term immobility....
If you come down with bronchitis, you're likely to be uncomfortable for a while, but most cases of bronchitis aren't serious. Since most bronchitis is viral, you can't use antibiotics to help you get better faster, but there are some medications...
An examination of the respiratory system begins with paying close attention to chest symmetry, movement and the degree of expansion. The doctor will note the rate and nature of breathing, whether it sounds smooth and easy, deep and labored or...
The common cold and allergy symptoms can be confusing to distinguish between. The Mayo Clinic says the major difference between a cold and allergies is that a cold is the result of a virus while allergies are an immune reaction to a foreign...
The airway branches in your lungs are known as bronchioles. When the bronchioles become inflamed due to a viral or bacterial infection, the condition is known as bronchitis. Bronchitis is a breathing condition that causes symptoms such as chest...
Bronchitis is a respiratory infection that can be caused by a virus or a bacterial infection. People who have acute bronchitis usually experience symptoms including a low grade fever, coughing that brings up mucus and wheezing, according to the...
A pregnant woman is not any more or less immune than another person when it comes to catching a cold or the flu. The University of Michigan Health System explains that a woman's immune system is different during pregnancy leading her to have...
Acute bronchitis occurs when areas in the bronchial wall of the tubes carrying air from the windpipe into the lungs become inflamed and swollen. This increases mucus and narrows the passageway, making it hard for people to breathe, according to...
There are many childhood conditions that can cause breathing problems. Wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and a tightness in the chest are all common symptoms of many of these illnesses. If a child is experiencing trouble breathing, his...
Lung disorders such as pneumonia, silicosis, asbestosis and cystic fibrosis often cause the air sacs or alveoli to fill with fluids comprised of white blood cells, cancer cells, pus, proteins or blood. These substances are called infiltrates....
When your toddler has a cold, a congested chest makes sleeping and breathing uncomfortable -- but safe, natural remedies might help. Chest congestion occurs when mucus builds up in the lungs, causing wheezing and coughing. In some cases, a...
Symptoms of bronchial congestion include difficulty breathing, a phlegmy or productive cough and tightness in the chest. Generally, this condition indicates a problem with the lungs and bronchial pathways -- whether it be a disease or acute...
More than 440,000 people die of smoking-related deaths in the United States each year. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarettes are responsible for more "deaths than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide and illegal drugs...
Viral pathogens are responsible for approximately 50 percent of all pneumonia cases, according to health experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Viral pneumonia symptoms initially mimic common cold or flu symptoms, but progressively become more severe...
Nearly everyone has suffered from cold symptoms at one time or another. In fact, about one billion colds occur each year in the U.S., according to the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The most common symptoms of this respiratory infection...
