Lung Medical Reference

Pneumonitis means inflamed lungs. A number of things can irritate and inflame your lungs, from chemicals to mold, bacteria, and dust. Learn more about this condition and how to manage it.

Respiratory therapists help treat a host of conditions related to your lungs and breathing. Find out what they do and when you might need to see one.

Does your chest hurt when you breathe, cough, or laugh? This sharp, stabbing, or burning pain is called pleuritic chest pain. Find out what can cause it.

Aspergillus is a common mold that’s just about everywhere and can cause serious problems in your lungs. Learn more about this condition, known as aspergillosis, from symptoms to how it affects your body and how to treat it.

A hard time breathing while exercising or climbing stairs could be a sign of hyperinflated lungs. Learn more about this condition and how it’s treated.

From time to time, some young people may feel a sudden, knife-like pain in the chest that goes away fairly quickly. Learn what causes the pain and what it may mean.

When you cough and you bring up mucus, that's called a productive cough. Learn all the different things that can cause one.

Your body makes phlegm, aka mucus, to sweep out harmful bacteria and allergens. The color of the phlegm can depend on the causes. Here are possible reasons why it’s brown.

Have you had a blood clot in your lung? Find out more about chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension -- your risk, common symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

Washing your hands with soap and water helps keep you from getting sick, and hand sanitizer is a good solution when you can’t get to a sink. Here’s how to make your own.

Stridor is a high-pitched wheezing sound you make when something narrows your airway. Find out why you might have it and what you can do about it today.

Are you short of breath when you lie down, but fine when you sit up? It may be orthopnea (aka orthopnoea). See why you might have it and what you can do about it.

A tracheostomy is a hole that a doctor, usually a surgeon, makes in your windpipe to make it easier for you to breathe. Find out when you might need one and what to expect.

Find out the symptoms and treatment of pneumoconiosis, a lung disease that sometimes affects miners, builders, and other workers who breathe in certain kinds of dust.

Has advanced COPD made it hard for you to breathe and exercise? Find out how lung volume reduction surgery may help improve your quality of life.

Who’s on your COPD medical care team? Your GP, pulmonologist, rehab therapist, and nutritionist can all help you have better quality of life.

A bronchoscopy is a medical test that lets doctors look into your lungs and airways using a thin tube with a camera and light at the end. Learn what to expect from the procedure.

You're using an endotracheal tube (ETT). But you won't need it forever. Here's the process for taking it out so you can breathe on your own again.

If you can't breathe on your own, intubation is the process that puts in the tube that connects you to a ventilator. Find out what you can expect from the procedure.

This test shows whether you have enough oxygen in your blood. Learn when you might need it and how it's done.

Find out why you might be at higher risk for having something you eat or drink "go down the wrong pipe," and learn what you can do to prevent this problem.

For some illnesses that affect your lungs, you might be able to get all the care you need from your regular doctor. But if your cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms don't improve, you might need see a pulmonologist. Find out what diseases they can diagnose and treat.

Find out more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for atelectasis, a condition that can lead to a collapsed lung.

Find out about the different types of humidifiers, how to use them safely, and how to clean and store them.

Learn what to expect if your doctor tells you that you have one of the four main types of cystic lung disease, a condition that causes cysts to grow in your lungs.