Health Care Encyclopedia
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Lung diseaseDefinition: Lung disease is any disease or disorder where lung function is impaired. There are three major physiologic categories of lung diseases: - Obstructive lung disease -- a decrease in the exhaled air flow caused by a narrowing or blockage of the airways, such as with asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
- Restrictive lung disease -- a decrease in the total volume of air that the lungs are able to hold. Often, this is due to a decrease in the elasticity of the lungs themselves or caused by a problem related to the expansion of the chest wall during inhalation.
- A defect in the ability of the lung's air sac tissue to move oxygen into a person's blood.
Most lung diseases actually involve a combination of these categories, such as emphysema, which involves both airflow obstruction and oxygenation problems. Major lung diseases include: - asthma
- BOOP
- chronic bronchitis
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- emphysema
- interstitial lung disease
- pulmonary fibrosis
- sarcoidosis
Other lung diseases include: This list is not complete. There are other lung diseases and disorders.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Expectations (prognosis):
Calling your health care provider:
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| Review Date: 10/30/2004
Reviewed By: Allen J. Blaivas, D.O., Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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