7 Lung Diseases and their Symptoms

 The Disease               

1) Asthma – asthma affects around 5.4 million people in the UK and the complaint has increased significantly since the 1970s.

The usual symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and tightness of the chest.   

2) Bronchitis – this disease can be split into 2 categories: acute and chronic. Acute can occur as part of a cold or flu but chronic is more serious and can last for months.

Symptoms can be similar to a cold or flu but often become worse over time if not treated. Symptoms include a dry cough, wheezing and discomfort in the chest.

3) Emphysema – emphysema is a long term progressive lung disease that destroys tissues in the lungs which are necessary to protect their physical shape.

The symptoms of emphysema include a shortness of breath on exertion and an expanded chest.

4) Lung cancer – lung cancer is the most common fatal cancer in men and women and millions of new cases are recorded every year.

Symptoms of lung cancer include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chronic coughing, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite.

5) Pneumonia – this is an inflammatory condition of the lungs and can be caused by a number of things, such as infection or injury to the lungs.

The symptoms include coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing and fever.

6) Asbestosis – this is a condition caused by exposure to asbestos fibres that have been retained in the lungs.

Chest pain, coughing and shortness of breath are usually present in an individual with asbestosis.

7) Mesothelioma – this is a rare form of cancer that affects the protective lining that covers the internal organs and can be caused by asbestos exposure.

Chest wall pain, pleural effusion, shortness of breath, fatigue, anaemia, wheezing and coughing up blood are common symptoms of mesothelioma.