Lung diseases
A lung disease is present when the trachea, the bronchi and bronchioles (branches of the airways), the fine air sacs (alveoli), the pleura or pleura or the blood vessels of the lungs are diseased. On this page you can find out which lung diseases exist and how you can recognize them.
What lung diseases are there?
The lungs are the body's respiratory organs. Various diseases can affect them. These lung diseases have different causes. Here is an overview:
- Infectious diseases
- Cardiopulmonary diseases
- Occupational illnesses
- Chronic lung diseases
- Autoimmune diseases of the lungs
- Tumor diseases
Infectious diseases of the lungs
Some lung diseases arise because pathogenic germs such as bacteria, viruses or fungi enter. The pathogens irritate the mucous membranes and sometimes cause severe inflammation. Those affected then suffer from symptoms such as coughing with sputum, fever and a general feeling of illness.
Common infectious diseases of the lungs are for example:
- Cold (flu-like infection)
- Influenza
- Acute bronchitis
- lung infection
- whooping cough
You should always have a doctor examine an infection of the lungs. In the elderly, chronically lung patients and people with a weakened immune system, for example, pneumonia can be fatal in the worst case.
- Acute bronchitis
- Aspergillosis
- Covid-19: infection with the coronavirus
- cold
- flu
- whooping cough
- Legionnaires' disease
- lung infection
- Pneumonia in Children
- Ornithosis
- Q fever
- RS virus
- Summer flu
- Spastic bronchitis
- tuberculosis
pictures Pneumonia - It Really Is That Dangerous How dangerous pneumonia can become is underestimated by many. We have summarized the greatest dangers. Learn more
Cardiopulmonary diseases
Some heart diseases are caused by the lungs. This includes, for example, the cor pulmonale - the right ventricle is enlarged and / or the heart muscle is thickened because the resistance in the pulmonary vessels is increased and the heart has to work harder.
Doctors call this increased blood pressure in the pulmonary vessels pulmonary hypertension. For example, it is the result of COPD or pulmonary embolism. Cardiopulmonary diseases are particularly noticeable at the beginning through rather unspecific complaints such as lower physical resilience, exhaustion and shortness of breath under stress.
Work-related lung diseases
Some lung diseases are caused by inhaled pollutants, fumes, vapors or gases. People are exposed to these environmental influences primarily at certain workplaces.
- Alveolitis
- Pneumoconiosis (pneumoconiosis)
- Asbestosis
- silicosis
- Silage filling disease
- Byssinosis
- Bronchiolitis obliterans
- Occupational asthma
Chronic lung disease
Some respiratory diseases are chronic. This means that the symptoms persist for a long time without getting better. Some chronic lung diseases also gradually worsen. Common chronic lung diseases include:
- Chronic bronchitis
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- bronchial asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Sleep apnea
- Bronchiectasis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoid
- Emphysema
Sleep apnea: symptoms, causes, and treatment Read How You Can Recognize Sleep Apnea And What To Do! Learn more
Autoimmune diseases of the lungs
When the body's immune system turns against the lung tissue, doctors speak of an autoimmune disease of the lungs. This causes inflammation and the structure of the lungs changes pathologically.
- Sarcoid
Malignant diseases of the lungs
In the lungs, as in any other region of the body, cells can degenerate. Uncontrolled cell division can ultimately lead to lung cancer. Cancer can also affect the pleura and lungs.
Causes and Risk Factors
The causes of lung diseases are diverse. In acute illnesses, such as the common cold or acute bronchitis, viruses and bacteria, less often fungi or parasites, are usually the triggers. Other lung diseases are already anchored in the genome, such as cystic fibrosis. Some are also caused by pollutants from the environment, for example smoking or fine dust.
Infection with pathogens
The causative agents of lung diseases are often transmitted by droplet infection: an infected person emits a large number of virus-containing droplets when speaking, sneezing, coughing, breathing or laughing. If it gets into someone else's airway, it can become infected.
Infection via the finest droplets in the air - so-called aerosols - also plays a role in respiratory diseases - such as coronavirus transmission. Virus-containing tiny droplets get into the air and can infect those who inhale them.
In the case of a smear infection, the pathogens get on objects - for example door handles, computer keyboards or handles in public transport. From there they are then transferred to the mucous membranes of other people via the hands.
Pollutants in the air
In addition, inhalation of dust and harmful gases can cause lung disease. Those who regularly inhale higher doses of harmful gases, vapors, fumes or even fine dust damage their lungs.
The pollutants can occur in your own four walls, for example black mold or asbestos in the building fabric. It is even more likely that these pollutants are present in the workplace. Anyone who works with chemicals should therefore protect themselves adequately. The same applies to dusty work: If the fine dust gets into the lungs, it can cause serious damage in the long term. The pollutants include:
- Molds
- asbestos
- Silicones
- Fine dust (e.g. from quartz, lead, copper, silver, granite, beryllium)
- Vapors from paints and varnishes
- Irritant gases
Inhaling cigarette smoke (passive smoking) can also damage the lungs and cause lung disease.
Genetic predisposition
Some lung diseases arise from a hereditary predisposition. This includes, for example, cystic fibrosis. The tendency to allergies and allergic asthma can also be inherited. If, for example, one of the parents is asthmatic themselves, the child's risk of developing the disease is three times higher.
Autoimmune reaction
Your own defense system can also be directed against the lung tissue. The inflammation causes the lung tissue to rebuild. It stores more connective tissue and scarred the lungs.Doctors then speak of pulmonary fibrosis.
Pulmonary fibrosis can also develop without knowing the exact cause. Doctors then speak of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, pulmonary fibrosis can be the result of inhaled pollutants, infections, medication or heart disease.
Other risk factors for lung disease
Obesity is a risk factor for lung disease. Due to the increased body mass, the heart has to work harder to supply the organs with sufficient oxygen. In addition, overweight people are more likely to develop sleep apnea.
Smoking is a major risk factor for lung disease. It damages the lining of the airways. This repeatedly creates foci of inflammation that can become chronic. Pathogens also have an easier time here.
This also applies to passive smoking. Those who are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke also have an increased risk of many lung diseases. For unborn children, too, the risk of respiratory diseases and long-term effects increases if the mother (passively) smokes.
When are lung diseases fatal?
Lung diseases can be very severe and even fatal for some people. Infections are the biggest problem, especially for those with chronic lung disease. The main reasons for the severe course of a lung infection are:
- Immune deficiency (e.g. due to another illness or immunosuppressive therapy)
- Older age
- Chronic pre-existing conditions (especially if they affect the heart or lungs)
- Lack of protection
- Missing or incorrect treatment
The cause of death in lung patients is often respiratory insufficiency - that is, poor breathing. In the course of the disease, many patients also develop acute lung failure (ARDS), which is often fatal.
With certain diseases, gastric juice or stomach contents easily run back into the windpipe or lungs. This causes inflammation. Doctors then speak of aspiration pneumonia. It occurs, for example, in neurological diseases with swallowing disorders and can also be fatal.
Lung Diseases: Symptoms
Cough, shortness of breath, shortness of breath: these are often signs of a lung disease. The symptoms depend on the underlying disease. The following symptoms usually indicate a lung problem:
- Cough (with or without sputum)
- Bloody cough
- Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath, dyspnea), often with shortness of breath and rapid breathing (tachypnea)
- changed or noticeable breathing noises (e.g. whistling, humming, panting)
Lung diseases often change the way you breathe. They become noticeable through a change in the breathing pattern, i.e. the ratio of inhalation to exhalation, or the noises when breathing. The following changes in breathing can occur:
- Slow breathing (bradypnea)
- Accelerated breathing (tachypnea)
- Changing breathing depth and intervals between breaths (Cheyne-Stokes breathing)
- Breathing pauses after deep breaths (Biot breathing)
- Deep and stressed breathing (Kussmaul breathing)
In some cases, a lung disease also manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- Chest pain, chest pain
- Chest tightness
- Blue discoloration of the skin (cyanosis)
Chronic lung diseases can sometimes also be recognized from the outside - through typical physical changes. These mainly occur if the disease is left untreated or is well advanced. This includes:
- Change / thickening of the last phalanxes (drumstick fingers)
- “Spongy” changes in the structure of the nail bed
- Rounded and outwardly curved nails (watch glass nails)
- Barrel chest (significantly enlarged chest)
- The left and right sides of the chest move unevenly
- Coachman's seat (when seated, the patients support their arms on their knees; use of the auxiliary breathing muscles)
In the case of a lung disease, the following rather unspecific symptoms can also occur:
- fever
- Weight loss
- fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Night sweats
If you experience these symptoms in yourself or someone close to you, you should seek medical advice. He will examine you or the person concerned and classify the complaints. In most cases, an infection that is easy to treat is behind it. However, lung problems should never be taken lightly.
Diagnosis of lung diseases
If a lung disease is suspected, the doctor will first ask the patient in detail (anamnesis). He asks him questions about his symptoms, but also about possible previous illnesses such as cardiovascular problems, existing allergies or illnesses of his family members. The occupation practiced also plays a role in lung diseases.
The doctor also asks lifestyle questions. For example, smoking and being overweight significantly increase the risk of some lung diseases such as COPD or sleep apnea.
If the patient suffers from coughing with sputum, the doctor is also interested in its appearance. He pays attention to:
- lot
- colour
- Blood
- Consistency (e.g. frothy, tough)
With most infections or bronchiectasis, those affected complain of significantly more sputum than usual. The color of the sputum changes especially with bacterial (super) infections - the mucus is then yellowish-greenish in color. If blood is found in the cough secretion, this is, for example, an indication of a pulmonary embolism, tuberculosis or a malignant tumor.
Physical examination
The questioning is followed by a physical examination. The doctor pays attention to possible signs of a lung disease such as blue lips or changes in the fingers (drumstick fingers).
An important point is listening to the lungs with a stethoscope. Doctors speak of the so-called auscultation. In doing so, he pays attention to the character and volume of the breathing noises, any background noises that may be present and the relationship between inhalation and exhalation. Altered breath sounds include:
- Moist rattling noises (e.g. in the case of pneumonia)
- Humming and wheezing (whistling sound) during inhalation and / or exhalation (e.g. COPD, asthma)
- Stridor, a high-frequency breathing sound (e.g. when you have inhaled a foreign body)
- Grinding / creaking rubbing noises (e.g. in the case of a dry inflammation of the lung membrane, called pleurisy sicca)
- Weaker or absent breathing sounds (e.g. in the case of a pleural effusion or a collapsed lung, called pneumothorax)
- Crackling (siderophony, especially in the case of pulmonary fibrosis)
In addition, doctors sometimes check the continuation of the language:
- Bronchophony: The patient whispers the number “66” while the doctor listens - once on the left, once on the right. Lung tissue filled with fluid, such as pneumonia, conducts the voice better so that the doctor hears the number more clearly.
- Aegophony: The patient pronounces an “I”, but the doctor perceives an “A”
The heart also comes into focus: by listening to the heart, the doctor can detect heart valve defects, for example. He can also sometimes hear whether the blood pressure in the lungs is too high.
When palpating the chest, the doctor pays attention to areas that are painful to pressure, for example. He also tests the so-called vocal fremitus. He has the patient say the number “99” while placing his hands on the chest on the left and right of the spine. The vibrations that this creates in the chest are usually equal on both sides. If they differ on the left and right, it indicates a lung disease.
This is followed by tapping the chest (percussion). The doctor can use the knocking noises to estimate the boundaries of the lungs, among other things. In addition, the knocking sound of individual lung diseases differs. If there is water retention or pneumonia, it sounds rather high and dull. If the lungs are over-inflated, for example in the context of COPD, the knocking noise is rather deep, loud and long-lasting.
If the first examination confirms the suspicion of a lung problem, the family doctor will refer the patient to a specialist. In the case of lung diseases, this is usually a pulmonologist, also known as a pulmonologist.
Pulmonary function test
In addition to the physical exam, a number of diagnostic tests are available to the doctor. The focus is on the lung function test. The following procedures allow reliable assessment of lung function:
- Body plethysmography
- Peak flow measurement
blood values
Certain blood values also provide information about lung health. Elevated inflammation levels such as white blood cells or C-reactive protein, for example, suggest an infection. In some cases, the doctor takes arterial or capillary blood from the patient's earlobe and uses it to determine, among other things, the oxygen content in the blood. The process is also called blood gas analysis.
Imaging procedures
If the suspicion that a lung disease is present is confirmed, the attending physician will initiate further examinations. In an ultrasound scan, he can quickly see if fluid has accumulated in the chest. Compression and water accumulation in the lungs can sometimes also be visualized using ultrasound.
In many cases, the doctor will order an x-ray of the lungs. Then he recognizes:
- Fluid in the chest (pleural effusion)
- Obstructed pulmonary vessels
- Fluid retention in the lungs (infiltrates, such as pneumonia)
- Collapsed lung parts / wings (e.g. pneumothorax)
- Airless sections of the lungs (atelectasis)
- Noticeable densities, round nodules (e.g. lung cancer, tuberculosis)
Another imaging technique used to diagnose lung disease is computed tomography of the chest (also called chest CT or chest CT). With CT, the patient is exposed to more radiation than with an X-ray. The doctor often also gives contrast media so that the individual areas can be better distinguished.
During a scintigraphy, doctors use radioactively labeled substances to make the bloodstream (lung perfusion scintigraphy) and lung ventilation (ventilation scintigraphy) visible. The examination is used, for example, to clarify a pulmonary embolism - especially in patients who are not allowed to receive contrast media.
Endoscopic examinations
As part of a reflection, the doctor inserts a flexible tube with a small camera (endoscope) into the patient's airways. This gives him a precise look into the bronchi and lungs. If the doctor sees noticeable changes, he also has the option of taking a tissue sample (biopsy) with special forceps. If a lung disease is suspected, these endoscopic procedures are used:
- Bronchoscopy (lung specimen)
- Thoracoscopy (thoraxoscopy)
- biopsy
Puncture
If there is fluid in the pleural space - i.e. the space between the pleura and pleura - the doctor can drain fluid during a pleural puncture and then examine it. The puncture is also often used in the treatment of patients with severe shortness of breath: If the fluid is drained, those affected quickly feel relief and can breathe more freely again.
Treatment of lung diseases
Correct diagnosis of lung disease is the basis for its treatment. Respiratory therapy can also be useful for all lung patients. They learn exercises and techniques that promote conscious body awareness and make breathing easier.
Medication
Various drugs are available to treat lung diseases. According to their main effect, they can be divided into several substance groups, including:
- Bronchodilator drugs
- Anti-inflammatory agents
- Agents against pathogens (anti-infectives such as antibiotics, antivirals or antimycotics)
Bronchodilator drugs help make breathing easier. They are usually used as a spray. There are fast-acting ones, for example against an acute asthma attack, and long-acting ones, for example to reduce the rate of attacks and improve breathing over the long term. Anti-inflammatory agents are supposed to suppress the chronic inflammation of COPD or asthma, for example. Antibiotics, on the other hand, are used in the event of a bacterial infection.
Home remedies such as inhaling steam, possibly with herbal additives, help in the treatment of lung diseases.
oxygen
If the lungs no longer supply the body with sufficient oxygen due to an illness, oxygen therapy is necessary.
If breathing repeatedly stops during sleep with sleep apnea, the patient is given a machine that helps them breathe at night. With the help of a slight overpressure, the device keeps the airways open. With this so-called CPAP therapy, the machine does not do the work of breathing, but only supports it.
Invasive surgery and ventilation
If there is fluid in the pleural space, i.e. around the lungs, a puncture usually helps the patient. However, if there is too much water in the lung tissue, it cannot be punctured. Instead, doctors prescribe diuretic drugs. If this pulmonary edema causes severe shortness of breath, ventilation may be necessary from time to time.
In principle, ventilation is necessary when there is no adequate exchange of vital oxygen and the waste product carbon dioxide. Doctors differentiate between:
- Non-invasive ventilation, e.g. using a mask
- Invasive ventilation using a tube in the trachea (tube, intubation)
If these measures are not sufficient, oxygen is supplied to the blood via a special device outside the body. Doctors speak of the so-called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal lung support (only to a limited extent for oxygenation).
If the lungs have collapsed, for example as a result of an accident, doctors place what is known as a chest drain. It helps the lungs to develop freely again.
Once the lung tissue is destroyed, it cannot be restored. Therefore, many patients with advanced lung disease are dependent on a lung transplant when all other therapy attempts have been exhausted.
If left untreated, many lung diseases can be fatal. Therefore, you should always follow the medical therapy recommendations.
Prevention
Your behavior can reduce the risk of some lung diseases. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. This also applies to people who already have a lung disease - because it is never too late to do something for their health. Lifestyle often has an impact on the course of therapy.
- Eat a balanced diet: Antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on lung health.
- Quit smoking and avoid cigarette smoke.
- Drink enough: at least 1.5 liters a day. This ensures that the mucus in the airways remains liquid and can be coughed up easily.
- Keep moving and keep fit. Daily walks are a first step in the right direction here.
- Declare war on being overweight. If a few extra pounds are not important and if they even help through times of crisis, the risk of serious secondary diseases increases significantly, especially in the case of obesity (BMI> 30).
- Check your vaccination status regularly. The Robert Koch Institute recommends several vaccinations that, among other things, prevent lung diseases. You can find out who should be vaccinated and when in the article Vaccination calendar.
If you are asthmatic or allergic, you should also make sure to consistently avoid possible triggers for seizures (for example certain pollen or vapors).
Apart from that, you should take the medical check-ups recommended by your doctor for the early detection of diseases.
Lung diseases from A to Z.
A.- Acute bronchitis
- Allergic asthma
- Alveolitis
- Asbestosis
- Aspergillosis
- asthma
- Atelectasis
- Bronchiectasis
- COPD
- Cor pulmonale
- Coronavirus infection Covid-19
- cold
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's disease)
- flu
- whooping cough
- Legionnaires' disease
- Pulmonary embolism
- Emphysema
- lung infection
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Lung cancer
- Lupus erythematosus
- Mesothelioma
- Cystic fibrosis
- NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer
- Ornithosis
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Pseudo croup
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Q fever
- RS virus
- SCLC: Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
- Sarcoid
- Sleep apnea
- Swine flu
- silicosis
- Summer flu
- Spastic bronchitis
- Dust lung
- tuberculosis
- Bird flu
Tips for everyday life
