- COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. One of the most common forms of this disease is emphysema. COPD damages the alveoli in the lungs, small air sacs found at the end of the lung branches, which transports oxygen to the sacs. Weakened sac walls inhibits adequate oxygen flow into and out of the sacs, causing constant shortness of breath.
- Pulmonary hypertension is literally known as high blood pressure in the lungs. This condition constricts and limits the amount of blood that reaches the lungs, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen that may flow to other parts of the body through the blood vessels.
- Scarred lung tissues cause interstitial lung disease. Interstitial tissues are found in the lining of the air sacs in the lungs. Scarring causes inflammation of these tissues, which then affects their ability to absorb oxygen. Causes of interstitial lung disease include, but are not limited to, environmental pollutants, injury to lung tissues caused by trauma and infections.
- Asthma affects millions of individuals around the world, from children to senior citizens. Asthma is caused by the contraction of the muscles in the airway, excessive mucus production and swelling or inflammation of the airways or branches of the lungs. As muscles and airways tighten, less oxygen passes through the vessels and lung tissues, which can often be noted by the wheezing sounds a person having an asthma attack may make. Management and treatment are determined on an individualized basis as determined by severity and frequency of asthma attacks.
- Cystic fibrosis is another common pulmonary disease that is hereditary in nature, meaning the condition is often passed down through family lines. A gene mutation causes the lungs to absorb excessive amounts of water and sodium, which causes a buildup of fluids in the lungs that decreases their ability to get enough oxygen for optimal function. This condition gradually worsens as lung cells experience increasing damage and die.
