Emphysema

Emphysema:

Is a disease of the lungs that continues to get worse as time moves forward. Emphysema is known as a obstructive lung disease under the category of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Emphysema completely destroys lung tissue around the bronchioles along with the alveolar walls which cause these airways to be unable to keep their shape when people breath out or rather exhale.

*Causes:

Emphysema is mostly cause by the continual smoking of cigarettes. Approximately anywhere from 80% to 90% of cases of emphysema is caused by smoking. Industrial pollutants, aerosol sprays, non-tobacco smoke, internal-combustion engine exhaust, and physiological atrophy (which mostly occurs in the elderly called senile emphysema).

On a physical standpoint emphysema can be caused by scarring after some sort of accident that affected the lungs which would cause scar emphysema. Suffocation, whooping cough, labor (child-bearing), and acute bronchopneumonia can also cause emphysema by the rupturing of alveoli. Tuberculosis and Asthma also can cause emphysema by lung overstretching which ultimately damage the elastic fibers of the alveoli walls. Also the genetic disorder -- alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency causes Emphysema.

*Symptoms:

The most common symptom of Emphysema is shortness of breath and wheezing. Other symptoms include chronic bronchitis, asthma, and bronchiectasis. Chronic cough, frequent respiratory infections, reduced appetite, weight loss and fatigue are also symptoms of Emphysema. Other symptoms of emphysema may be skipped breaths, insomnia or frequent nocturnal waking, memory loss, morning headaches, nasal flaring, blurred vision, increased breathing difficulty while lying down, impaired concentration, atypical irritability or loss of temper, excessive daytime sleepiness, and swelling of feet, ankles, or legs.

*Treatment:

There is no possible way to stop Emphysema or reverse the effects of it on the respiratory system. For those who smoke physicians advice the immediate quitting of smoking. There also are techniques for the controlling of coughing to get rid of excess mucus in the lungs that could possibly cause infection. Breathing techniques/exercises, which can help with the strengthening of the muscles that are essential to breathing, along with mild exercise is said to have helped with Emphysema. Some medicines and other therapies used are:

· Bronchodilators: albuterol, Proventil, Ventolin, salmeterol, or ipratropium, Theophylline

*Bronchodilators relax bronchial muscles which allow for the airways to be widened and thus breathing less laborious

· Steroids: Corticosteroids

*Steroids reduce inflammation in lungs

· Antibiotics

*Antibiotics help with shortness of breath

· Oxygen Therapy

*Pure oxygen through tubes through the nose

*Interesting Facts:

*The most interesting thing about Emphysema is it is more likely to occur in males than females the exact cause of this is not discovered yet.

*Men over the age of 65 are rated as having the most cases of Emphysema.

*The fastest rising cause of death in North America is Emphysema.

*Emphysema is given the 15^th place on the list of most chronic diseases that limit activities of an individual.

*Symptoms of Emphysema only start showing after approximately 30% to 50% of lung tissue is destroyed.

Websites Used:

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/Emphysema/EMP_whatis.html

http://www.niagaracleanair.com/asp/Service.asp?LID=11

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/pulmonary/copd/conditions/emphysema/signs.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/emphysema/page2.htm#toce

http://respiratory-lung.health-cares.net/emphysema-symptoms.php

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/pulmonary/copd/conditions/emphysema/treatments.html

http://respiratory-lung.health-cares.net/emphysema-causes.php

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/emphysema/article_em.htm

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/emphysema/page2_em.htm#Emphysema%20Causes

Tuberculosis

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that mainly involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was discovered in 1882 by a German physician named Robert Koch. Many years ago, it had been referred to as consumption because those who contracted the disease would waste away without treatment.

Symptoms
-Cough (sometimes producing phlegm)
-Coughing up blood
-Excessive sweating, especially at night
-Fatigue
-Fever
-Unintentional weight loss
-Breathing difficulty
-Chest pain
-Wheezing
-Clubbing of the fingers or toes (in people with advanced disease)
-Enlarged or tender lymph nodes in the neck or other areas
-Fluid around a lung
-Unusual breath sounds (crackles)

Treatment
A successful treatment of TB involves a combination of several drugs. This may be difficult for some people. If the infected patient does not take the medication as instructed it can severely complicate the infection because the drugs may no longer be able to treat the infection. Some patients may need to be admitted to a hospital to prevent the spread of the illness.
Standard therapy for active TB consists of a six-month regimen:
two months with Rifater (isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide)
four months of isoniazid and rifampin (Rifamate, Rimactane)
ethambutol (Myambutol) or streptomycin added until the patient’s drug sensitivity is known


Causes
Pulmonary tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). You can get tuberculosis by breathing in air droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person. In the United States, most people will recover from primary TB infection without further evidence of the disease. The infection may stay dormant for years and then reactivate. Most people who develop symptoms of a TB were most likely infected much earlier in the past. However, in some cases, the disease may become active within weeks after the primary infection.

The following people are at higher risk for active TB:
-Elderly
-Infants
-People with weakened immune systems, for example due to AIDS, chemotherapy, or antirejection medicines given after an organ transplant
Your risk of contracting TB increases if you:
-Are in frequent contact with people who have the disease
-Have poor nutrition
-Live in crowded or unsanitary living conditions
The following factors may increase the rate of TB infection in a population:
-Increase in HIV infections
-Increase in number of homeless people (poor environment and nutrition)
-The appearance of drug-resistant strains of TB

Interesting Facts

-Ireland gives the BCG vaccine to all residents which inoculate them against tuberculosis.
-Many years ago, TB once had the mortality rate that cancer does today.
-In the United States, there are approximately 10 cases of TB per 100,000 people.
-Every year, three million people die from tuberculosis and eight million new people develop the disease. Tuberculosis in the world's foremost cause of death from a single infectious agent.
-One-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis.
-Successful treatment requires 68 months of consistent, uninterrupted medication.

Websites

https://www.google.com/health/ref/Pulmonary+tuberculosis
http://www.medicinenet.com/tuberculosis/article.htm
http://www.interesting.vaty.net/2006/09/interesting-facts-about-tuberculosis.html
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/tuberculosis/page6_em.htm

Lung Cancer

Causes

· Lung cancer can be caused by an abnormality in the cell. Disruption of the normal checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division of cells which forms a mass or tumor.
· Also smoking can play a big role in receiving lung cancer. The 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes are a big component.
· Air pollution such as motor vehicles and factories may increase the chance.
· Lung diseases such as tuberculosis can create a risk for lung cancer. They are 4 to 6 times more likely to receive it over smokers.



Symptoms

· No symptoms are common. For about 25% lung cancer is found out on a routine check up.
· An interference of breathing, cough, wheezing, chest pain, and coughing up blood may occur. Also difficulty in swallowing may result. Also blood in mucous can occur.
· If the cancer interferes with nerves, shoulder pain which travels down the arm may be present.
· If the cancer is spread to the bone pain will appear at cite of any bone.
· If spread to brain, symptoms involve blurred vision, headaches, seizures, and symptoms of stroke.
· Elevation in levels of calcium in the bloodstream may occur due to increase of hormones.


Treatment

· Can involve surgical removal. Usually removed during stage 1 on cancer. It doesn’t always cure cancer for good. If cancer is too close to trachea surgery can’t be done. Also it depends on size and location of tumor.
· Another treatment is radiation. It uses high energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill dividing cancer cells. It is delivered externally by machines that direct the radiation to the cancer. Also delivered internally through of radioactive substances in sealed containers in infected areas. Radiation generally shrinks or limits the tumor.
· The last treatment is chemotherapy. It is the administration of drugs that stop the growth of cancer cells, by killing or preventing them. It can be given alone or along with radiation therapy. Platinum based drugs help cure lung cancers. Chemotherapy increases life span in some cases. It can be given as pills, or an intravenous infusion.
(Symptoms of chemotherapy include fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and mouth sores.)

Interesting Facts

· Tumors can be split into too outcomes, benign and malignant. Benign tumors can most likely be removed and rarely spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors grow fast, and invade other tissues in the body.
· Lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize early on, its makes it very life threatening. It’s one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
· The most common sites for Lung cancer to spread are adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone.
· Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, but 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways
· Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined



Websites….
http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/article.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lung_cancer/page2_em.htm
http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_facts_US

Influenza

Influenza

Influenza (AKA The Flu) is caused the Influenza Virus.

There are two types of Influenza Viruses, Type A and B. These two are the type spread through people and are responsible for the seasonal flu.

The most common Flu symptoms are…

• High Fever
• Headache
• Tiredness
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle aches
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Most people who develop the flu have symptoms for up to two weeks but can progress to a stage where they have pneumonia. Other complications of the flu are bronchitis and sinus and ear infections.

5% to 20% of Americans get the Flu each year. About 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications and 36,000 people die from them.

The Flu is spread by person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.

The winter time is flu season; with February have the most outbreaks over the last 26 years.

Interesting Fact:
The Flu is different from the Common Cold because the Flu is caused by a different virus that causes harsher symptoms.

Helpful Sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

PNEUMONIA

PNEUMONIA

Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in the lungs. Puss and other liquid fill the lungs making it harder and harder for oxygen to get into the bloodstream. Without enough oxygen, cells cannot operate correctly and with the spreading infection, this disease could cause death.

Causes and Symptoms:

Pneumonia has over 30 different causes but there are five main causes. There is Bacterial Pneumonia, Viral Pneumonia, Mycoplasma Pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia, and Tuberculosis Pneumonia.

*Bacterial –

When things like old age, malnutrition, illness, weaken someone’s immune system bacteria multiply and get into the lungs causing air sacs to inflame. The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia would be streptococcus pneumonia.

Symptoms include shaking chills, chattering teeth, severe chest pain, and a cough that produces rust-colored or greenish mucus. In other cases, there may be a temperature as high as 105 degrees F and a bluish color around the lips and nails.

*Viral –

The virus attacks the lungs but there is no sign of fluid build-up. Most of the infected have had pre-existing heart and lung conditions and several have been pregnant.

Symptoms of viral pneumonia look just like symptoms from influenza like fever, dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Twelve to thirty-six hours later, the infected will have extreme breathlessness, worse cough, high fever and a bluish color around the lips.

*Mycoplasma –

It is believed to be from an unknown virus and was called primary atypical pneumonia. Mycoplasmas cause a mild yet widespread case of pneumonia. It affects all age groups but the death rate is low even in untreated cases.

Symptoms include coughs that come in violent attacks with a little bit of whitish mucus, in the early stages there is a fever and chills and some even experience nausea, vomiting, and long lasting weakness.

*Pneumocystis carinii –

It is pneumonia believed to be caused by a fungus. It can be treated to prevent or lengthen time before recurrence but without treatment, it is bound to happen again.

*Various Chemicals –

Inhaling different chemicals can cause trouble breathing and increase your chances of viral and bacterial infection, which could lead to pneumonia.

Treatment:

If it is caught early, antibiotics can cure bacterial pneumonia and shorten recovery time from mycoplasma pneumonia. As for viral pneumonia, several antiviral drugs for different viruses can be used for treatment. Even if symptoms are subsiding, treatment must remain the same because relapses could be much worse than the original attack. Other than taking the proper antibiotics, the patient must also eat properly and if necessary, they are given oxygen to increase the levels in the blood.

Interesting Facts:

*About 2 million people in the US are infected with Pneumonia in 1 year and out of those, 40,000 to 70,000 people die.

*In developing countries pneumonia is 5 times more common and the death rate can be anywhere from 10-50 times higher than in developed countries.

*Small children less than the age of one, living in the poorest communities, are mostly the ones to suffer and die of this condition.

Sources:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=4294229&ct=3052571#causes

http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/pneumonia-topic-overview

http://www.theunion.org/download/clh/10facts_pneumonia_children.pdf

Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease

1. Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease or COPD for short is a lung disease that has asthma like symptoms. Having COPD makes it very difficult to breathe.
   

• COPD is caused mainly by smoking. It can be caused by other harmful materials in the air such as chemicals in pollution and dust or pollen irritating the lungs and creating bacteria that damage the lungs. The air sacs and air pathways are either restricted or deformed causing discomfort and difficulty breathing.
• Common forms of COPD are Emphysema and Bronchitis.
• Emphysema is caused by damage to the Alveoli or air sacs in the lungs. It causes shortness of breath and difficulty breathing during exercise.
  
• Bronchitis is caused by a blockage in the bronchi, or the passage to the lungs. Symptoms of Bronchitis are the coughing up of mucus and chest tightness.

2. COPD has many sympotms including:

• An unexplained increase or decrease in weight

• Increased feeling of fatigue and lack of energy that is persistent

• Trouble Sleeping

• Wheezing

• Increasing morning headaches, dizzy spells, restlessness

• Changes in weight

The symptoms differ in each person

3.Treatment of COPD

• Treatments may not cure COPD but they can subdue the effects of the disease.
• The main treatment for COPD would be to get as much fresh air as you can, and do not smoke. Smoking causes an increase in all COPD symptoms.
• Fresh air and proper exercise are a must to stay healthy and help stave off symptoms.
• There are nebulizers and inhalers that allow steriods and medicines to stop the effects of the disease, but not completely cure them.
• Specialized coughing techniques and proper breathing methods can help reduce risk of COPD.
  
• They are looking into new surgeries like the Lung Volume Reduction Surgery(LVRS) which may increase the quality of breathing.

4. COPD is common in smokers. It can be hereditary however and there is no cure. Patients with COPD must visit their doctors regularly and keep tabs on the symptoms. Medications help tremendously. COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S.

Sites:
http://www.nlhep.org/lung_trtmnt.html
http://www.nationaljewish.org/healthinfo/conditions/copd/index.aspx
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copdchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.html#cat3

ASTHMA

ASTHMA!
Causes:
The exact causes of asthma are unknown but researchers believe a certain combination of factors such as:
* An inherited tendency to develop allergies, called atopy
* Parents who have asthma
* Certain respiratory infections during childhood
* Contact with some airborne allergens or exposure to some viral infections in early childhood while the immune system is still developing
* The "hygiene hypothesis." society’s stress on hygiene and sanitation has changed our living conditions and an overall decline in infections in early childhood. Young children no longer experience the same types of environmental exposures and infections as children did in the past. This affects the way that the immune systems in today's young children develop during very early childhood, and it may increase their risk for asthma. This is especially true for children who have close family members with this condition.

Most common asthma symptoms:
* Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.
* Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when breathing
* Chest tightness. This may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on one's chest.
* Shortness of breath. Some people who have asthma say they can't catch their breath or they feel out of breath.
The types of asthma symptoms, how often they occur, and how severe they are may vary over time.

Symptoms usually occur when certain triggers are present such as:
* Allergens found in dust, animal fur, cockroaches, mold, and pollens from trees, grasses, and flowers
* Irritants such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemicals or dust in the workplace, compounds in home décor products, and sprays (such as hairspray)
* Certain medicines such as aspirin anti-inflammatory drugs
* Sulfites in foods and drinks
* Viral upper respiratory infections such as colds
* Exercise (physical activity)

Asthma is a long-term disease that can't be cured. The goal of asthma treatment is to control the disease. To keep asthma under control:
* avoiding things that will worsen asthma
*Taking medicines prescribed by a doctor
*Inhaled corticosteroids- for long-term control of asthma. They relieve airway inflammation and swelling

Good asthma control will help:
* Prevent chronic and troublesome symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath
* Reduce need of quick-relief medicines
* Help maintain good lung function
* Help maintain normal activity levels and sleep through the night
* Prevent asthma attacks that could result in going to the emergency room

Interesting Facts:
-Asthma is the most common chronic illness of children and adolescents
-The three states with the highest number of people with asthma are California, New York, and Texas.

HELPFUL SITES:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma
http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-triggers