Systemic Consequences of Pulmonary Hypertension and Right-Sided Heart Failure | Circulation
Common Respiratory Diseases: Causes And Prevention
There are many types of respiratory diseases, such as COPD, asthma, and obstructive sleep apnea. Smoking and exposure to certain substances are common risk factors.
Respiratory diseases are conditions that affect the tissues involved in breathing, which include your lungs and airways.
Chronic, or long lasting, respiratory diseases are common throughout the world. In fact, researchers have estimated that 544.9 million people worldwide had a chronic respiratory disease in 2017.
Some examples of chronic respiratory diseases are COPD and asthma. This article explores the symptoms, causes, and treatments of these and several other common respiratory diseases.
Respiratory diseases are a frequent cause of health problems and death across the globe. We review some of the more common types below.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
COPD happens when your airways and lungs become damaged, making it harder to breathe. It can cause symptoms like:
Several factors can contribute to COPD. Examples include things like smoking, air pollution, and occupational exposures. There's no cure for COPD, but you can manage symptoms with:
Asthma
Asthma is a respiratory disease that leads to inflammation that causes the muscles of the airways to tighten. This can make it harder to breathe, leading to symptoms like:
The WHO estimates that 262 million people around the world had asthma in 2019. Its exact cause is unknown but is more likely to occur in people with:
For some, asthma attacks can be serious and can be fatal. Doctors prescribe medications that help relax the airways, making breathing easier, to treat asthma. These medications are typically given via an inhaler.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
OSA is a condition where your breathing stops periodically while you're asleep. This can prevent your body from getting enough oxygen and can lead to symptoms like:
OSA is linked to a higher risk of a variety of other health problems, including:
It's most often treated with a CPAP device that helps keep airways open as you sleep.
Pulmonary hypertension
According to a 2020 article, experts estimate that between 50 and 70 million people have pulmonary hypertension worldwide. Its cause isn't always known, but some medical conditions like heart failure, lung disease, and blood clots can contribute.
The treatment of pulmonary hypertension can include:
Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
ILD refers to a group of conditions that can cause scarring, called fibrosis, in the lungs. When scar tissue forms in the lungs, it can stiffen lung tissue and make it harder to breathe. Common symptoms of ILD include:
Some research estimates that 2.28 million people worldwide were living with ILD in 2019. Many causes of ILD remain unknown. Known causes include:
There's no cure for ILD. Treatment includes medications like corticosteroids to lower inflammation in the lungs as well as oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation. Doctors may recommend a lung transplant in very severe situations.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is when cancer begins in your lungs. It can cause symptoms like:
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, with 2.2 million new diagnoses being made in 2020. It also causes the highest percentage of cancer deaths worldwide: In 2020, 18% of cancer deaths occurred due to lung cancer.
Smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer and is estimated to cause 85% of all lung cancers. Other risk factors include:
Lung cancer treatment depends on the type and stage of the cancer. It may include one or a combination of:
Occupational lung diseases
Occupational lung diseases are those that occur due to workplace exposures to harmful substances. Some examples of occupational lung diseases include:
Workplace exposures can damage your lungs and make it hard to breathe, causing symptoms like:
Researchers estimate there were 519,000 deaths worldwide due to occupationally acquired lung diseases in 2016. Certain occupations are at a higher risk of occupational lung diseases, such as those in mining, farming, and the military.
Treatment of occupational lung diseases can depend on the type of lung disease. It may involve medications, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, or a lung transplant.
Other respiratory diseases
Other examples of chronic respiratory diseases that are less common include:
There are also a variety of acute (short lasting) respiratory conditions. These include pulmonary embolism, collapsed lung, and infections that can cause a variety of respiratory problems, like:
Specific risk factors can vary depending on the type of respiratory disease. However, many respiratory diseases share some risk factors.
Smoking is a major risk factor for COPD and lung cancer. It's also a risk factor for OSA and pulmonary hypertension. Smoking can also trigger asthma attacks or make an asthma attack worse.
Exposure to a variety of hazardous substances can also increase the risk of respiratory conditions like COPD, asthma, ILD, occupational lung disease, and lung cancer. Examples of hazardous substances can include:
Some other health conditions increase the risk of respiratory diseases. For example, obesity increases the risk of OSA. Allergic conditions can increase a person's risk of asthma.
RSV And Other Lung Problems - WebMD
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infection that affects your lungs, nose, throat, and breathing passages. You get it when infected droplets enter your nose, eyes, or mouth. This might happen when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes near you. Or you may touch an infected surface or shake hands with someone who has it.
For people who are healthy, symptoms of RSV are typically similar to the common cold and include:
But sometimes RSV can be severe. When this happens, the infection reaches down into your lungs and bronchial tubes (the tubes that let air in and out of your lungs). This causes more serious symptoms including:
This more severe form of RSV also causes inflammation in the lungs and bronchial tubes, which causes infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, as well as other complications.
People at a higher risk of RSV complications include:
RSV pneumonia is pneumonia that happens because of an RSV infection. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. RSV is the most common cause of pneumonia. When you have pneumonia, the air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs fill with pus and fluid, making it hard to breathe.
Although viral pneumonia is often less serious and shorter in duration than bacteria pneumonia, RSV-caused pneumonia can still be life threatening.
It can take several days for pneumonia symptoms to show up. Some of the symptoms may be hard to tell apart from those of RSV. Viral pneumonia can cause:
Typically the symptoms continue to get worse for a time. Your fever may go up, your cough may get worse, and you may have blue lips. Infants with pneumonia may vomit or just appear lethargic and have no energy. In older adults, pneumonia may affect their mental state, causing confusion.
To diagnose you with pneumonia, your doctor will listen to your lungs. They may also order tests such as:
People at higher risk (immunocompromised, very young, or older adult) may need additional tests such as:
Because RSV pneumonia is caused by a virus, antibiotics can't treat it. A doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication. Typically you treat the infection with rest, fluids, oxygen, and symptom management.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi, or large airways to your lungs. Sometimes bronchitis is called a chest cold. When RSV infects your bronchi, it can cause bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis lasts about 10 days and causes symptoms similar to a cold, such as:
You may also have body aches or a headache.
Sometimes it can be difficult for your doctor to tell the difference between the early days of bronchitis and the common cold. To diagnose you with bronchitis, your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. They may also give you tests such as:
Older children and adults are more likely to get bronchitis. Younger children tend to get bronchiolitis instead.
Bronchiolitis is the inflammation of the smaller airways to your lungs called bronchioles. It's also caused by a viral infection, commonly RSV. When bronchioles swell with bronchiolitis, it's harder to breathe.
Bronchiolitis is the most common respiratory infection in children younger than 2. Infections are at their peak in winter and early spring months.
Early symptoms are similar to those of the common cold.
They include:
Once the infection settles into the bronchioles, you may have breathing problems such as:
Bronchiolitis can be life-threatening if it keeps you from breathing well. You can't treat it with antibiotics since it's caused by a virus. Typically, the infection clears on its own, but you can treat your symptoms with fluids, extra oxygen, saline for congestion, and pain reliever/fever reducer medications.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes swelling and narrowing of your airways. When you have asthma, your airways are sensitive to viruses, allergens, irritants, or even emotions.
Babies who get RSV are more likely to have asthma later in life. Babies who avoid RSV have a 26% lower risk of developing asthma by age 5. Based on these findings, doctors suspect RSV may trigger asthma for the first time in some people. Once you get asthma, you have it for life.
People who have asthma may have more severe asthma symptoms when they have RSV, too.
Respiratory failure happens when your lungs aren't able to get enough oxygen into your blood. Respiratory failure can happen because of the inflammation caused by RSV. Your symptoms may develop slowly over time.
Your body doesn't get enough oxygen when you're in respiratory failure. Symptoms of low oxygen include:
You may have a buildup of too much carbon dioxide, which can cause:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of your lungs. Like other related conditions of RSV, it narrows your airways and makes it hard to breathe.
Because your lung function is already weak when you have COPD, RSV symptoms can hit harder and put you at higher risk of RSV complications. Studies show that when compared to the effect of bacterial infections on COPD, viral infections such as RSV are more severe, last longer, and cause more severe inflammation in your lungs.
Advanced lung disease like COPD increases your risk of hospitalization when you have RSV. You may have to be on a ventilator to help you breathe, and some die from the infection.
RSV has a connection to conditions outside your lungs, too. Congestive heart failure is a long-term condition that happens when your heart can't pump blood as well as it needs to so that your body has a normal supply. This makes blood and fluid collect in your lungs and legs.
Like RSV, congestive heart failure makes breathing more difficult and may cause a dry cough. Symptoms also include:
If you have congestive heart failure, your risk of being hospitalized for RSV goes up eightfold. This is because your lung inflammation, caused by RSV, puts an additional strain on your heart.
Your heart tissue gets more inflamed, which makes your heart symptoms worse. As your body fights the RSV, your blood pressure goes up, you're more likely to get blood clots, and your heart muscle can swell or scar.
COVID-19 is also a type of respiratory virus with similar symptoms to RSV.
Both RSV and COVID can cause:
But typically COVID-19 is more likely to also cause:
Although both viruses can cause trouble breathing, RSV is more likely to cause wheezing, which is rare in COVID-19.
If you get RSV, it can lower your immune defenses and increase your chances of getting COVID-19. You might get them at the same time, which can make COVID-19 worse. If your doctor thinks you have COVID-19, they can give you a simple nose swab to confirm your diagnosis.
You can tell RSV has become more severe and/or caused a complication such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis if you have symptoms such as:
Changes in your breathing or skin color, especially if you also have a fever, are signs it's time to see a medical professional when you have RSV. In babies, you may notice a lack of energy and more fussiness. They may have fewer wet diapers and lack tears when they cry, which are signs of dehydration.
If you have these symptoms, contact a doctor right away or call 911.
How is RSV different from a cold? The virus that causes the common cold tends to stay in your upper respiratory system (head cold). RSV is more likely to move down into your lower respiratory system (chest cold). You're more likely to wheeze with RSV, and symptoms of RSV usually get worse before they clear.
How common is RSV? Nearly every baby under the age of 2 will get RSV. In adults, RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory infections. Each year, 60,000-120,000 older adults are hospitalized and 6,000-10,000 die from RSV infection.
How can I help prevent RSV? A single dose of the RSV vaccine is suggested if you're 75 or older. Experts also recommend the vaccine for adults 60 to 74 years old and up who are at high risk for severe RSV disease. You can also get the RSVpreF (Abrysvo) vaccine if you're pregnant. This is the only RSV vaccine approved for pregnant people. Babies under 8 months can get an RSV antibody immunization shot. Practice good hygiene by covering your coughs and sneezes and washing your hands often.
Common Lung Disease Treatment Found Ineffective
Although previous studies suggested combining N-Acetylcysteine with immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory drugs could slow the progression of the disease, the latest study examining the drug found no statistically significant difference in patient outcomes — including symptom flare-ups, deaths and hospitalizations — between the trial group and the placebo group.
Researchers stopped the therapy arm of the trial in 2011 due to safety concerns. Initial results demonstrated patients receiving the drug experienced more deaths and hospitalizations and no difference in lung function as compared to the placebo arm.
"IPF is a devastating disease," said James Kiley, PhD, director of the Division of Lung Diseases at the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in the news release. "While it is disappointing that [the drug combination] was ineffective in preserving lung function in IPF, these are the kind of high-quality data that patients and their caregivers need to make informed decisions."
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