Lung disease refers to any disease or disorder in which the lungs do not function
properly. Lung disease is the third leading killer in the United States, responsible for one
in seven deaths, and is the leading cause of death among infants under the age of one.
Some lung diseases, like asthma and emphysema , involve a narrowing or blockage of
the airways resulting in poor air flow. Others, including pneumonia and lung cancer, are
caused by a loss of elasticity in the lungs that produces a decrease in the total volume
of air that the lungs are able to hold.
Research has shown that long-term exposure to air pollutants can reduce lung growth
and development and increase the risk of developing asthma, emphysema, and other
respiratory diseases.
Results from the Harvard Six Cities Study, the largest available database on the health
effects of outdoor and indoor air pollution, show a strong association between exposure
to ozone, fine particles and sulfur dioxide, and an increase in respiratory symptoms,
reduced lung capacity, and risk of early death.
Tips to Keep Your Lungs Healthy
Sometimes we take our lungs for granted. They keep us alive and well and for the most
part, we don't need to think about them. That's why it is important to prioritize your lung
health.
Your body has a natural defense system designed to protect the lungs, keeping dirt and
germs at bay. But there are some important things you can do to reduce your risk of
lung disease. Here are some ways to keep your lungs healthy.
Don't Smoke
Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Cigarette smoke
can narrow the air passages and make breathing more difficult. It causes chronic
inflammation, or swelling in the lung, which can lead to chronic bronchitis. Over time
cigarette smoke destroys lung tissue, and may trigger changes that grow into cancer. If
you smoke, it's never too late to benefit from quitting.
Avoid Exposure to Pollutants That Can Damage Your Lungs
Secondhand smoke, outdoor air pollution, chemicals in the home and workplace, and
radon all can cause or worsen lung disease. Make your home and car smoke-free.
Avoid exercising outdoors on bad air days. And talk to your healthcare provider if you
are worried that something in your home, school or work may be making you sick.
Prevent Infection
A cold or other respiratory infection can sometimes become very serious. There are
several things you can do to protect yourself:
● Wash your hands often with soap and water.
○ Alcohol-based cleaners are a good substitute if you cannot wash.
● Avoids crowds during the cold and flu season.
● Good oral hygiene can protect you from the germs in your mouth leading to
infections. Brush your teeth at least twice daily and see your dentist at least
every six months.
● Get vaccinated every year against influenza.
● If you get sick, keep it to yourself! Protect the people around you, including
your loved ones, by keeping your distance. Stay home from work or school
until you're feeling better.
Get Regular Healthcare
Regular check-ups help prevent diseases, even when you are feeling well. This is
especially true for lung disease, which sometimes goes undetected until it is serious.
During a check-up, your healthcare provider will listen to your breathing and listen to
your concerns.
Exercise
Aerobic exercise helps improve your lung capacity. Specific breathing exercises can
also help improve your lung function. Exercise and breathing techniques are also great
for improving your mood and helping you relax.
Breathing Exercises
Out with the old, stale air and in with new fresh air. That's the theme of the two most
useful breathing exercises—pursed lip breathing and belly breathing—taught by
pulmonary rehabilitation specialists to individuals with chronic lung diseases such as
asthma and COPD. Like aerobic exercise improves your heart function and strengthens
your muscles, breathing exercises can make your lungs more efficient.
Why Breathing Exercises Help
When you have healthy lungs, breathing is natural and easy. You breathe in and out
with your diaphragm doing about 80 percent of the work to fill your lungs with a mixture
of oxygen and other gases, and then to send the waste gas out.
Over time, stale air builds up, leaving less room for the diaphragm to contract and bring
in fresh oxygen. With the diaphragm not working to full capacity, the body starts to use
other muscles in the neck, back and chest for breathing. This translates into lower
oxygen levels, and less reserve for exercise and activity. If practiced regularly, breathing
exercises can help rid the lungs of accumulated stale air, increase oxygen levels and
get the diaphragm to return to its job of helping you breathe.
Pursed Lip Breathing
This exercise reduces the number of breaths you take and keeps your airways open
longer. More air is able to flow in and out of your lungs so you can be more physically
active. To practice it, simply breathe in through your nose and breathe out at least twice
as long through your mouth, with pursed lips.
Belly Breathing, aka Diaphragmic Breathing
As with pursed lip breathing, start by breathing in through your nose. Pay attention to
how your belly fills up with air. You can put your hands lightly on your stomach, or place
a tissue box on it, so you can be aware of your belly rising and falling. Breathe out
through your mouth at least two to three times as long as your inhale. Be sure to relax
your neck and shoulders as you retrain your diaphragm to take on the work of helping to
fill and empty your lungs.
Practice Makes Perfect
Ideally, you should practice both exercises about 5 to 10 minutes every day.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic, or lifelong, disease that can be serious—even life threatening.
There is no cure for asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it harder to move air in and out of your
lungs. It can start at any age.
With asthma, swollen airways become extra sensitive to some things that you are
exposed to in the environment every day, or asthma "triggers." When you breathe in a
trigger, your airways create extra mucus and swell even more, making it hard to
breathe.
Nearly 26 million Americans have asthma, including more than 7 million children. It
causes millions of lost school and work days every year and is the third leading cause of
hospitalization among children.
Influenza
Influenza (flu), also referred to as seasonal flu, is a highly contagious respiratory illness
caused by influenza viruses. Anyone can get the flu as it is spread easily from person to
person, usually when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Key Facts
● Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection
● It's caused by one of three different viruses, although most serious illness is
caused by flu strains A and B.
● If you have asthma or other lung diseases, you are at higher risk of
developing complications from the flu
● Getting vaccinated every year is the best way to protect yourself from the flu
The flu is a respiratory infection caused by flu viruses. The viruses pass through the air
and enter your body through your nose or mouth. Between 5 percent and 20 percent of
people in the United States get the flu each year. It can cause mild to severe illness, but
in some cases, can become more serious, leading to hospitalization or death.
Symptoms of the flu are similar to the common cold, but they last longer and tend to be
worse.
Types of Influenza
There are three different influenza virus families: A, B and C.
● Influenza Type A viruses can infect people, as well as birds, pigs, horses,
and other animals. There are different strains (or subtypes) of influenza type
A viruses, two of which circulate among humans: H1N1 and H3N2. These two
subtypes are included in the seasonal flu vaccine each year.
● Influenza Type B viruses are usually found only in humans. Influenza B
viruses can cause illness among humans, but in general are associated with
less severe infection than influenza A viruses.
● Influenza Type C viruses cause mild illness in humans. Influenza C cases
occur much less frequently than A and B and are not typically included in the
seasonal flu vaccine.
Influenza types A and B are the most severe of the flu viruses. The viruses change
constantly and different strains circulate around the world every year. The body's natural
defenses cannot keep up with these changes. Type C causes either a very mild illness,
or has no symptoms at all. It does not cause epidemics and does not have the severe
public health impact that influenza types A and B do.
In addition to seasonal flu, there is another type of flu virus:
● Avian flu (H5N1): Avian influenza, or bird flu, is also a subtype of influenza
type A viruses. While highly contagious in birds, it does not usually infect
humans. The virus is mainly transmitted to humans by direct contact with
infected live, sick or dead poultry. However, it is thought that a few cases of
human-to-human spread have occurred.
The flu affects your whole body—including your nose, throat and lungs—and can lead
to serious complications in those with chronic illness. Many people who become sick
with the flu say it is like being hit by a truck. Flu symptoms, such as high fever, cough
and muscle aches, usually come on suddenly and are more severe than colds. Not only
does having the flu impact your daily activities, it also leads to missed days from work
and school.
Complications can include pneumonia, ear or sinus infections, dehydration, and
worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or
diabetes.
The flu can be fatal in elderly people, people with chronic diseases; and anyone with a
weak immune system.
The decrease in quality of life, the impact of symptoms, the shifting nature of the virus,
and the danger of life-threatening complications, combine to make the flu a major public
health problem.
Each year between 3,000 and 49,000 Americans die from flu and its complications.
Although most people are back on their feet within a week after having the flu, certain
people are more susceptible to complications.
Prevent the Flu
● Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccination every year.
● Wash your hands often. The most common way to catch the flu is to touch
your own eyes, nose or mouth with germy hands. So keep your hands clean,
and away from your face. Wash hands with soap and warm water for 30
seconds
● Keep your distance when you are sick or if you are around someone else who
is sick.
● Keep it to yourself. One gift you can give others is to help prevent other
people from catching your flu. You should stay home from work, school and
public places when you are sick. Keep in mind you can still spread germs up
to 7 days after getting sick. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your
elbow when coughing or sneezing, but never your hand. It may prevent those
around you from getting sick.
Pneumonia
(Links to an external site.)
Pneumonia is a common lung infection caused by bacteria, a virus or fungi. It is often
spread via coughing, sneezing, touching or even breathing, and those who don't exhibit
symptoms can also spread the illness.
Key Facts
● Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs
● It may be a complication of the flu
● Most healthy people recover from pneumonia in 1 to 3 weeks, but it can be
life-threatening
● One form of bacterial pneumonia can be prevented by getting vaccinated and
practicing good health habits
Pneumonia is an infection in one or both of your lungs. Many germs, such as bacteria,
viruses, and fungi, can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is not a single disease. It can
have more than 30 different causes. Understanding the cause of pneumonia is
important because pneumonia treatment depends on its cause.
Approximately one-third of the pneumonia cases in the United States each year are
caused by viruses. These viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children
and young adults.
The flu virus is a common cause of viral pneumonia in adults. Other viruses that cause
pneumonia include respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, herpes simplex virus,
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, and more.
How Does Pneumonia Affect Your Body?
Most of the time, your nose and airways filter germs out of the air you breathe. This
keeps your lungs from becoming infected. But germs sometimes find a way to enter the
lungs and cause infections. This is more likely to occur when:
● Your immune system is weak.
● A germ is very strong or present in large amounts.
● Your body fails to filter germs out of the air you breathe.
When the germs that cause pneumonia reach your lungs, the lungs' air sacs (alveoli)
become inflamed and fill up with fluid. This causes the symptoms of pneumonia, such
as a cough, fever, chills, and trouble breathing.
When you have pneumonia, oxygen may have trouble reaching your blood. If there is
too little oxygen in your blood, your body cells can't work properly. Because of this and
the risk of the infection spreading through the body, pneumonia can cause death.
Pneumonia affects your lungs in two ways. It may be in only one part, or lobe, of your
lung, which is called lobar pneumonia. Or, it may be widespread with patches
throughout both lungs, which is called bronchial pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a serious lung disease that kills thousands every year and hospitalizes
many more.
Pneumonia tends to be more serious for infants and young children, older adults
(people 65 years or older), people who have other chronic health problems, and people
who have weak immune systems as a result of diseases or other factors.
If you develop pneumonia, your chances of a fast recovery are greatest if:
● You are young
● Your pneumonia is caught early
● Your immune system—your body's defense against disease—is working well
● The infection hasn't spread
● You are not suffering from other illnesses
With treatment, most patients will improve within 1-3 weeks. Elderly or debilitated
patients may need longer treatment.
Five Facts You Should Know About Pneumonia
Pneumonia is more common than you think. It causes more than a million
hospitalizations and more than 50,000 deaths each year. Pneumonia is an infection in
one or both of your lungs, causing inflammation and fluid build-up. It may cause
problems with oxygen exchange. Here's what you should know about this serious
illness.
1. The chances of getting them can be substantially reduced. Get a flu shot
every year to help prevent seasonal influenza. The flu is a common cause of
pneumonia, so preventing the flu is a good way to reduce your risk of
pneumonia. In addition, those at risk can should get vaccinated against
pneumococcal pneumonia.
2. Anyone can get pneumonia. While some people are at higher risk than others,
anyone can get pneumonia. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, wheezing,
cough, chills, rapid breathing, chest pains, loss of appetite and malaise, or a
general feeling of weakness or ill health.
3. Pneumonia can have more than 30 different causes. Many germs, such as
bacteria, viruses and fungi can cause pneumonia. Understanding the cause of
pneumonia is important because pneumonia treatment depends on its cause.
4. It can be deadly. Pneumonia can be very serious and can cause death.
Complications from pneumonia include respiratory failure, sepsis and lung
abscess and are more likely to affect older adults, young children, those with a
weakened immune system and people with other medical problems.
5. Good health habits can fight pneumonia. Washing your hands, following a
healthy diet, getting adequate rest, regularly exercising and not smoking are all
habits that can help you from getting sick from bacteria, viruses and other causes
of respiratory illnesses. Good health habits also promote fast recovery when you
do get sick.
Can Pneumonia Be Prevented?
Yes. You can reduce your risk of getting pneumonia by following a few simple steps.
Here's how:
Get Vaccinated
● Get a flu shot every year to prevent seasonal influenza. The flu is a common
cause of pneumonia, so preventing the flu is a good way to prevent
pneumonia.
Wash Your Hands
● Wash your hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose, going to the
bathroom, diapering, and before eating or preparing foods.
Don't Smoke
● Tobacco damages your lung's ability to fight off infection, and smokers have
been found to be at higher risk of getting pneumonia. Smokers are
considered one of the high risk groups that are encouraged to get the
pneumococcal vaccine.
Be Aware of Your General Health
● Since pneumonia often follows respiratory infections, be aware of any
symptoms that linger more than a few days.
● Good health habits—a healthy diet, rest, regular exercise, etc.—help you
from getting sick from viruses and respiratory illnesses. They also help
promote fast recovery when you do get a cold, the flu or other respiratory
illness.