Shortness of breath, also called dyspnea, occurs when you have difficulty breathing. Intense physical exercise or nasal congestion can cause breathlessness in healthy people. Walking is a moderate form of physical exercise that usually does not...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a disease affecting the lungs that blocks airflow and results in difficulty breathing. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is most often made up of a combination the lung diseases emphysema and...
Shortness of breath while climbing can be alarming for anyone. Whether you start panting when you are climbing stairs, working on a stair-climbing machine at the gym or mountain climbing, you may have a serious medical condition and you should...
Hypoxemia is the state of low blood oxygen. The inability of the body to take in enough oxygen from the air leads to a lowering of the concentration of the oxygen in the blood. People who experience this decrease of oxygen often having trouble...
Nebulizer therapy is an effective and efficient way to deliver medications directly into the lungs by inhalation. Doctors prescribe a variety of different medications for conditions that warrant nebulizer therapy. Patients with conditions such as...
Symptoms of lung infections may begin with a simple persistent cough or difficulty in breathing, according to Merck. Lung infections need medical treatment with anti-infective drugs in order to restore normal breathing capabilities. Some lung...
A collapsed lung is a potentially fatal medical condition that causes breathing difficulties, chest pain, a rapid heart rate and skin discoloration. This condition occurs when pressure accumulates within the thin protective tissue that covers the...
Lung and breathing problems can occur due to such respiratory illnesses and conditions as asthma, pneumonia, collapsed lung and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Inflamed and swollen lungs and airways make breathing difficult and cause chest...
The lungs need to be exercised just like any other part of the body, especially if you've been diagnosed with an illness or disease that affects lung function, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, emphysema or pneumonia. Lack of...
Your lungs provide oxygen to your tissues and organs and eliminate carbon dioxide from your body. Lung function usually peaks during early adulthood and then declines as you age, according to Rachel Booker, author of "Vital Lung Function: Your...
Alcohol and tobacco use increase the risk for many of the diseases effecting mortality rates in the United States today. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and alcohol can increase the chances of injury, accident, assault and damage to...
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. and is the leading cause of cancer death in the country. This and other lung diseases, such as emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD, pneumonia, asthma and cystic...
Dozens of conditions can cause spasms, irritation and inflammation of the lungs. If you experience persistent coughing or respiratory discomfort, it is important to consult a qualified health care provider to determine the underlying cause....
Mucus is a slippery and watery substance that is normally found throughout the body. Its function is to protect membranes and help the body fight infection. However, if the body produces too much mucus and it begins to accumulate in the lungs,...
The normal function of lung cells is to absorb oxygen from the air and expel carbon dioxide from the blood, a process called respiration. When lung cancer develops, abnormal tumor cells grow out of control and begin to interfere with this vital...
Irritation of the airways by infections, inflammation, inherited disorders or structural abnormalities can cause increased mucus production and coughing up phlegm. Hair-like projections on the cells, lining the airways, move mucus up and out of...
There are 599 approved additives, including 69 known carcinogens, used in cigarettes. These additives weren't tested for burning, which changes their chemical make-up; however, they are approved as food additives. Smoking cigarettes is known to...
The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General periodically issues updates on research about tobacco use and disease risk due to smoking. Its major revelation in 1964, that cigarette smoking causes lung and larynx cancer, was significantly expanded upon...
Viral or bacterial organisms cause bronchitis and pneumonia. Pneumonia results from infection of the lower respiratory system that can spread throughout the body. Bronchitis inflames the lung airways. In non-smokers, it often results from...
In the human body, the heart, lungs and blood vessels work together to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to the organs and tissues. The heart pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body. The deoxygenated blood returns to the lungs, where it...
Azithromycin (Zithromax) is a macrolide antibiotic that treats the bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia, infections of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sinus infections, throat or tonsil infections, skin infections, infections of...
The biological effects of nicotine occur due to its interaction with nerve cells in the body and brain. Nicotine interacts primarily with the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body responses. The body-wide distribution of the...
Lung disease describes any condition that can affect your ability to breath or your respiratory system function. The most common forms are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia and lung cancer. Your ability to exercise...
Disease pathology encompasses the causes, processes and changes in body organs and tissues that occur with human illness. Doctors and biological scientists study pathological disease processes knowing that a clear understanding of what goes wrong...
Lobelia inflata is an annual or biennial flowering herb that grows wild in many parts of North America. It can grow to a height of three feet, producing pale green leaves and attractive violet-blue blooms with tiny yellow centers. The leaves and...
Exercise of any type changes your breathing pattern as your body works harder to supply oxygen to muscle tissue and the vital organs. When your breathing becomes erratic and labored, you may experience some uncomfortable and dangerous symptoms...
Using tobacco products can increase your risk of developing heart disease and other serious illnesses. The American Cancer Society reports that tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the Unites States, as of 2010. All forms...
Difficulty breathing, or dyspnea, can be mild to severe and is a common symptom of many diseases. Medical conditions associated with dyspnea include pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure. Additional testing...
Your respiratory system is responsible for moving air in and out of your lungs. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute states that your respiratory system is composed of your airways, lungs, muscles that assist breathing and blood vessels...
