One of the most unpleasant conditions a person can experience is shortness of breath, or the inability to draw in enough air, a condition physicians refer to as “dyspnea.” Emergency rooms assign urgent priority to patients with...
Radon is the byproduct of the breakdown of uranium and thorium. It is a colorless, odorless gas, but it is present in many homes, posing potential health risks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Radon can seep into a home through...
The lungs, an organ of the respiratory system, function to intake air, exchange gases and exhale waste produced by cells. As the lungs expand, air enters the mouth and nose, travels through the trachea, enters the bronchi that branch into a series...
Uranium in rocks and soil releases radon during radioactive decomposition. Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that becomes concentrated in homes and other buildings that lack adequate ventilation. The gas molecules can attach to dust...
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition where pulmonary artery blood pressure, or blood pressure in the major blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs, is abnormally elevated. Elevated pressure in the pulmonary arteries causes increased...
Respiration consists of ventilation--the movement of air in (inspiration) and out (expiration) of the lungs--and gaseous exchange across the alveolar membranes in the lungs. Oxygen is extracted from the air and carbon dioxide removed from the...
BMI (body mass index) is an easy, inexpensive method of predicting the percentage of your body weight that is due to fat mass. BMI is found by dividing your weight (in lbs.) by your height squared (in inches) and then multiplying by 703. In...
