Dyspnea, or shortness of breath, is a bothersome condition that can be unnerving for those experiencing it. Generally, a tightness or constricted feeling across the chest will cause trouble breathing. This discomfort of not getting enough air can...
Various diseases cause fluids to build up in or around the lungs. The composition of the fluid, such as the minerals, immune cells, bacteria, enzymes and other proteins, can help to establish the diagnosis or cause of fluid buildup. Fluids inside...
More than 37,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year, mostly those over the age of 55, reports Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Typically, there are no early symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which makes...
Excess lung fluid can be caused by a variety of things. The common cold, for instance, can progress into an infection of the respiratory tract and result in increased congestion in the lungs. Pleurisy is characterized by an inflamed pleura, the...
Lung cancer is the abnormal growth of tissue in the lungs. When cancer originates in the lungs, it can spread to other organs of the body; the spread of lung cancer to the adrenal glands, for example, may result in electrolyte disturbances....
Cardiac asthma is a clinical condition caused by congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, the accumulation of fluids in the lungs. It is characterized by an asthmatic-type wheezing due to the reduced efficiency of the heart at pumping blood...
Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and any other organisms that can cause illness. According the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death in...
A c-section, also called a cesarean section, is a surgical procedure used to deliver a baby. Approximately 25 percent of pregnant women give birth by c-section, according to medical experts with MedlinePlus. Expectant mothers who elect or need to...
Shortness of breath feels like you just can't get enough air. It can also be accompanied by a feeling of tightness in your chest, coughing, fever or chest pain. Shortness of breath may happen only when you exercise or when lying down flat.
Traditionally, linden flowers were steeped in a tea and used to relieve anxiety-related indigestion, irregular heartbeat and vomiting. Linden is now used in cough and cold remedies. The active ingredients in linden promote sweating. This may help...
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, almost always presents as a chronic condition, although sometimes it develops suddenly, according to Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. The heart is a muscular organ...
Many lung cancer patients develop a pleural effusion as their cancer progresses. Damage to the lung tissue leads to a buildup of fluid between the lungs and the walls of the chest cavity, causing a decrease in lung capacity. As a result, patients...
The hearts anatomy consists of four chambers divided by four valves. Each valve is a one-way valve that ensures blood flows in one direction only. The aortic or mitral valves are the most commonly affected by disease. Patients present with a...
When a doctor is suspicious of pneumonia, he may order a chest x-ray. A chest x-ray will show any signs of fluid in the lungs. However, a chest x-ray may not always be accurate. Sometimes, pneumonia can settle deep within the lung or be so minute...
We all breathe, and most of us don't give it a second thought until we have trouble breathing. The simple act of breathing is actually a complicated system of bringing oxygen into the body and exhaling the waste material, carbon dioxide, according...
In congestive heart failure, the heart's weakened conditioned impairs its ability to pump blood efficiently. Over time, blood backs up in the blood vessels, creating fluid overload--congestion--in the vessels and organs. Heart failure is a chronic...
Asthma is a lung disease that restricts air passages and makes it increasingly difficult for sufferers to breathe. It may appear under strenuous activity and is usually called asthma attacks. Some symptoms of asthma may include wheezing, heavy...
Many heart problems cause symptoms similar to asthma. Until doctors establish a specific heart diagnosis in a patient, the cause of breathing problems cannot easily be discerned from asthma. This is most true early in the onset of heart problems...
Having congestive heart failure can lead to serious health complications such as having fluid in the lungs or heart related problems. Diet along with medication compliance is an important part of the management of congestive heart failure....
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...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is commonly used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness or neonatal respiratory distress. HBOT involves the administration of oxygen at pressure levels that are higher than normal, according to...
Malignant hypertension causes a sudden, severe rise in blood pressure. The diastolic number, which represents the pressure inside the blood vessels at rest, often rises above 120 to 130 mm Hg, as compared to a normal diastolic reading of 80 mm Hg....
When food or a liquid enters the lungs, it is called aspiration pneumonia. A common cause might come from inhaling stomach acid or vomit or if food, liquid or spit from your mouth accidentally gets into the airway and travels down into the lungs....
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder that can be treated and controlled, but not cured. The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) notes that 1 in 15 Americans suffers from asthma and it is the third most common cause of hospitalization...
Buildup of water in the lungs can have fatal consequences if not recognized and treated immediately. Typically, fluid in the lungs stems from physiological causes, such as pulmonary edema, but it is possible to accumulate water in the lungs from...
In medicine, compliance and elasticity are different ways to describe how stretchy, springy or flexible something is. The more compliant the lungs are, the more they are able to stretch in response to a force, and the lower the compliance, the...
Heart failure describes a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the demands of the cells throughout the body. Heart failure occurs when the heart becomes weak due to added strain caused by conditions such as coronary artery...
The human body is mostly water, with the majority of it inside of the cells and a large portion outside of cells as well. The water contains charged minerals called electrolytes, such as sodium, which has a positive charge in water and a...
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood throughout the body. Pulmonary edema is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs. Pulmonary edema is most commonly caused by heart failure, because as the...
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