Lung

The lungs consist of elastic sacs and bronchi where air is drawn into. The bronchi then divides into bronchioles which eventually end in clusters of microscopic air sacs called alveoli. This is where the oxygen is absorbed into the blood and carbon dioxide is removed via exhalation.

The lungs are covered by a thin layer of tissue called the pleura which is the same kind of tissue that lines the inside of the chest cavity. A thin layer of fluid allows the lungs to smoothly expand and contract with each breath took.

There are a number of lung conditions that may arise such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer, and each condition has a variety of treatment options. The most common lung disease is asthma, which is a long-term disease of the lungs, where the bronchi of the lungs become inflamed and spasm resulting in shortness of breath. Asthma can often be triggered by air pollution, viral infections and allergies and the symptoms may appear as: tightness or pain in chest, trouble sleeping (due to breathing problems) coughing and wheezing.

Asthma affects approximately 300 million people worldwide including children aged 6 to 7 years old and not everyone presents the same symptoms. Many people can go for long periods of time without having any symptoms, some may suffer from problems every day. Generally mild asthma attacks are more common as the airways open up within a few minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks tend to last longer therefore require immediate medical attention but are less common.

If you want access to all of this and more content, and regular updates to your emails, register with Oncology Central now.