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Respiratory Diseases

This page will help you understand and learn more about respiratory diseases. Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals.

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01

Asthma

Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. There are lots of small air passages in your lungs that help deliver oxygen from the air into your bloodstream.

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Asthma symptoms occur when the lining of your airways swells and the muscles around them tighten. Mucus then fills the airways, further reducing the amount of air that can pass through.

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This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out and shortness of breath. For some people, asthma is a minor nuisance.

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Asthma also has many symptoms helping to identify the disease 

The most common symptom of asthma is wheezing. This is a squealing or whistling sound that occurs when you breathe.

Other asthma symptoms may include:

  • coughing, especially at night, when laughing, or during exercise

  • tightness in the chest

  • shortness of breath

  • difficulty talking

  • anxiousness or panic

  • fatigue

  • chest pain

  • rapid breathing

  • frequent infections

  • trouble sleeping

 

Asthma can be caused due to many reasons like

  • Genetics. If a parent or sibling has asthma, you’re more likely to develop it.

  • History of viral infections. People with a history of severe viral infections during childhood, such as respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV), may be more likely to develop the condition.

  • Hygiene hypothesis. This theory explains that when babies aren’t exposed to enough bacteria in their early months and years, their immune systems don’t become strong enough to fight off asthma and other allergic conditions.

02

Tubercolosis

Tuberculosis is a bacterial lung disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More than 1.8 billion people around the world have tuberculosis, but the disease is only considered active in 10 million of them.

 

 There are 3 stages of TB that are exposure, latent, and active disease. A TB skin test or a TB blood test can diagnose the disease. Treatment exactly as recommended is necessary to cure the disease and prevent its spread to other people.

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TB also has some symptoms 

  • A cough that lasts longer than three weeks

  • Weight loss

  • Poor appetite

  • A cough that brings up blood or mucus

  • Weakness

  • Fatigue

  • Fever

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TB also has many complications. Without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can affect other parts of your body, as well.

Tuberculosis complications include:

  • Spinal pain. Back pain and stiffness are common complications of tuberculosis.

  • Joint damage. Arthritis that results from tuberculosis (tuberculous arthritis) usually affects the hips and knees.

  • Swelling of the membranes that cover your brain (meningitis). This can cause a lasting or intermittent headache that occurs for weeks and possible mental changes.

  • Liver or kidney problems. Your liver and kidneys help filter waste and impurities from your bloodstream. Tuberculosis in these organs can impair their functions.

  • Heart disorders. Rarely, tuberculosis can infect the tissues that surround your heart, causing inflammation and fluid collections that might interfere with your heart's ability to pump effectively. This condition, called cardiac tamponade, can be fatal.

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