Introduction
Are lungs are very important organs within our body. When they become infected, then the person will have a large amount of problems breathing and carrying out daily activities. This is why it is important for you to educate yourself on diseases lungs. By knowing what the diseases of the lungs might be, you can help prevent them from getting into your lungs.
Infectious Diseases
One of the largest categories of diseases lungs is infectious diseases. These are diseases that are spread either through coughing, sneezing, saliva or shaking hands. These diseases within the lungs are usually the most dangerous as someone might not be aware that they are around other people with infectious lung diseases. Another problem with infectious diseases is that you will not know you have been infected until it is too late. They can spread easily, if proper hygiene is not taken. Therefore, to prevent the spread of infectious lung diseases, it is best to cover your mouth when coughing or cover your nose when sneezing. Always wash your hands to prevent the spread of germs. Examples of infectious lung diseases include tuberculosis, pneumonia, influenza and whooping cough.
Hereditary Diseases
Some lung diseases are hereditary and even though they are not necessarily spread by infection, they can affect the lives of the person who is diagnosed with these diseases. “Hereditary” means that the person receive the disease from a parent or grandparent. In some instances, the family member might be a gene carrier and not know they carry the gene mutation until they conceive a child. These type of lung diseases can greatly affect a person’s quality of life because most, if not all of them result in difficulty breathing. Examples of hereditary lung diseases include cystic fibrosis and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. There is quite a lot being done in regards to research on gene therapy to treat hereditary lung diseases.
Secondary Diseases
Another type of diseases lungs to be aware of are secondary diseases. These diseases are quite interesting because they are not hereditary or infectious. Instead they occur as a secondary result of an injury the lung tissue receives. This means that the person’s lungs are intentionally or accidentally exposed to something that results in a lung disease occurring. Secondary lung diseases can often occur in the workplace if the person is working in an environment in which chemicals are being used. By breathing in harmful chemicals without a face mask, the lung tissue can become damaged and scarred. In some instances, lung cancer can develop. Examples of secondary diseases of the lungs include Chronic lung disease from ammonia inhalation, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiolitis and pulmonary hypertension.
Lung Cancer:
Of course one of the main diseases lungs to be aware is lung cancer. This disease can be result from almost all causes of diseases in the lungs. Most people will get lung cancer as a result of smoking. However, it can result as a secondary disease from cancer elsewhere in the body that has spread to the lungs. Cancer is the worse from of all lung diseases and it can spread to other organs to cause disease.
