According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory disease that affects 5 to 20 percent of Americans each year. In most people, seasonal flu resolves without treatment, although symptoms may last...
Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound the lungs make when breathing in and out. It develops when airflow is constricted, causing the air to whistle through narrowed breathing tubes. When wheezing accompanies a cough and phlegm, it is almost...
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, actually includes several conditions in which your airflow is blocked. The two most common COPD conditions are chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the Mayo Clinic reports. Or, it can be chronic...
Millions of Americans contract the flu each year. In most cases, according to Dr. Raphael Dolin in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," acute illness resolves within two to five days, although respiratory symptoms, such as cough and sore...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 percent to 20 percent of Americans contract influenza each year. Although it is commonly considered a benign disease, influenza also accounts for 200,000 hospitalizations and...
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population is infected with influenza each year. The spectrum of disease associated with influenza ranges from mild, self-limited respiratory infection to fatal...
"Flu" is a generic term for a respiratory infection produced by several distinct influenza viruses, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). More than 200,000 people are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die from the flu in the...
It is the job of your lungs to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide, because all of the cells in your body must have oxygen to provide them with the energy that they need to do their work. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that must be removed. Yet...
Your lungs are important organs in the body vital for respiration. Sometimes they can become inflamed or infiltrated with bacteria. When this happens, your airways may become constricted, severely compromising your ability to breathe. Lung...
According to the World Health Organization, the swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases identified in more than 200 countries. Swine flu, also known as H1N1 flu, produces a spectrum of disease ranging from mild upper respiratory...
"Swine flu," also known as H1N1 2009, was first identified in March 2009. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rapid flu tests miss up to 90 percent of swine flu infections. Through careful attention to symptoms, it...
Viral influenza affects 5 to 20 percent of Americans each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In most people, influenza causes mild to moderate self-limited respiratory disease. In others, it can cause...
Orthopnea refers to a symptom in which shortness of breath occurs while lying down. This can cause people to awake in the middle of the night in order to catch their breath. Sometimes, orthopnea is a sign of an underlying medical problem. There...
The swine flu is the common name for the novel strain of influenza A (H1N1) first identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April 2009. Compared to other strains of flu, swine flu has predominantly affected younger...
The flu is a contagious respiratory disease that affects millions of Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some people-including the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with certain...
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, refers to a group of diseases that obstruct airflow and cause difficulties in breathing. The obstruction can cause severe and irreversible damage to the lungs. According to the National Heart Lung...
Your body naturally produces mucus to lubricate and protect your respiratory system from inhaled debris, dust particles and bacteria. Cases of irritation, infection or disease may cause excessive sputum, which is matter, including mucus, that you...
Cefprozil is an antibiotic used to treat mild to moderately severe bacterial infections of the throat, ears, sinuses, respiratory tract and skin. Cefprozil belongs to a class of antibiotics known as cephalosporins. Cefprozil is available as...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that flu affects millions of Americans each year, causing symptoms such as fever, dry cough, headache, muscle pain and fatigue. A productive cough with the flu usually signals the...
Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. This is a condition where the air sacs in the lungs get damaged. This can lead to shortness of breath as the body is unable to get the oxygen that it requires. According to...
The flu will often resolve on its own with some supportive care on your part. Fever usually goes away within four days, but regaining your normal energy level can take up to two weeks. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also called COPD, causes breathing problems that get progressively worse over time, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Air pollution, chemical...
According to American College of Physicians Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program, one third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis. The majority of people with tuberculosis have a...
Chronic pulmonary disease, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, is a group of serious lung diseases that obstructs the intake of air. This results in severe disability since there is no cure. The American Lung Association,...
The flu, also known as influenza, is a highly contagious respiratory illness which can be spread from person to person through sneezing or coughing. It may also be spread by touching the surface of an item that an infected person touched or...
Micardis Plus is a combination medication in a class of drugs known as antihypertensives, containing both telmesartan and hydrochlorthiazide. It is used to control blood pressure. Micardis Plus may be recommended after other treatments have...
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the air passages to the lungs. Bronchitis is typically caused by a cold or other virus infection that spreads to the respiratory organs of the body. Bronchitis starts in the nose or throat and...
Docusate sodium, or Colace, is a medication in a class of drugs known as stool softeners. Docusate is used to treat or prevent constipation, and to reduce pain or rectal damage caused by hard stools or by straining during bowel movements. It may...
Lisinopril is a medication in a class of drugs known as angiotensin converting enzyme, or ACE inhibitors. According to Drugs.com, it is used to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and to improve survival after a heart attack. This...
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that's usually caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms. Pneumonia is a particular concern for older adults and people with chronic illnesses or impaired immune systems. Learn...