What Is Lung Disease and How Can It Be Cured?

Few people think about their lungs on a day to day basis. As long as you are able to breathe without any difficulty, you are not likely to think about it. The moment that it becomes difficult however, it is the only thing that you can think about. We have all had a cold at some point. Simple head colds can be a nuisance, with blocked nasal passages making it hard to get air in through the nose. The simple solution is to inhale through your mouth. But what happens when the breathing issue is not in your head and is instead in your lungs? It can be hard to differentiate what is just a temporary breathing problem and what is lung disease when you can’t catch your breath.

Temporary breathing problems are usually the result of some inflammation to the lung. Whether it is accidentally inhaling water or being stuck in a smoky room, it is usually short lived and resolves once you leave the room or cough the offensive material up. Another common cause of respiratory difficulties is pneumonia, which is not as temporary, and is very serious, but is not lung disease. So what is lung disease?

Lung disease is a respiratory problem that is more than temporary. There are three main categories of lung disease: those that are due to an obstruction, which prevents air from entering the lungs, those that are restrictive, meaning that there is a limit to the amount of air that can be held in the lungs and those that have to do with oxygenation, meaning a failure on the part of the lungs to transfer oxygen out of the lungs and into the body. It is important to engage a doctor in determining what lung disease is, and what it is not.

The most common form of lung disease is asthma. Asthma is an example of an obstructive lung disease. The airway becomes inflammed and swells, forming an obstruction, making it difficult if not impossible for air to enter the lungs. Emphysema is another form of lung disease, which is a combination between obstruction and oxygenation. The damage caused to the lungs leads to both an inflammation of the airway and an inability by the lungs to transfer oxygen to the rest of the body. Much less treatable, there is no cure for emphysema. This is why it is important to go to a doctor at the first sign of breathing difficulty, so that they can tell you what is a temporary illness and what is lung disease.

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