The following is an overview and brief explanation of the most important diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. The lungs are responsible for sufficient oxygen intake and supply to the body. It consists of two lungs that are spatially and functionally independent of each other and surrounds the heart with them. The two organs are located in the thorax, protected by the ribs.
The diseases of the lungs
In the following, you will find an overview of the most common diseases & injuries of the lung, classified by
- Infections and inflammations
- Obstructive lung diseases
- Dysfunctions and structural diseases of the lungs
- Rare diseases of the lung
Pneumonia is a relatively common but nevertheless very serious disease. Especially in older and bedridden patients, pneumonia often occurs, which in the worst case can be fatal. The risk of contracting pneumonia also increases during longer hospital stays.
In most cases, pneumonia is caused by pathogens such as the bacteria pneumococcus. Antibiotic therapy is usually the treatment of choice for bacterial pneumonia. You can find detailed information under Pneumonia.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, i.e. the section of the airways that carries air from the trachea to the end section of the lungs. Unlike pneumonia, bronchitis is usually caused by viruses. The current bronchitis usually heals within 1-2 weeks.
To suppress the irritation of the throat, cough-relieving medication such as codeine drops can be used. Smoking can trigger chronic bronchitis, which can cause severe lung dysfunction and greatly reduce life expectancy. (see also COPD) Detailed information can be found under Bronchitis.
Inflammation of the trachea is a less common inflammation of the respiratory tract, which usually occurs together with other symptoms in the nasopharyngeal area. It can be caused by bacteria and viruses, but also by other substances that irritate the mucous membrane of the windpipe. These include cigarette smoke in particular.
Patients usually suffer from dry cough, hoarseness and general symptoms of illness such as fever. You can find detailed information under Inflammation of the Trachea. The pleura (pleura) covers the chest from the inside and thus lies against the lungs from the outside.
Inflammation of the pleura does not usually occur on its own, but is the result or complication of another disease. For example, pneumonia can spread to the pleura. Inflammation of the pleura, or in medical terms pleuritis, is usually accompanied by severe pain, a feeling of illness and possibly difficulty breathing.
The therapy is usually carried out on an inpatient basis and includes an intensified administration of antibiotics. The pleura can also be affected by cancer of the lung. Bronchial asthma, or asthma for short, is one of the obstructive lung diseases.
These so-called obstructions are characterized by the fact that patients have problems breathing out the air in their lungs due to narrowed airways. The development of asthma has not yet been conclusively clarified and there are many different triggers. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, such as fine dust and cigarette smoke pollution, allergic influences play an important role.
In general, there are extensive inflammatory reactions within the lungs, which cause the airways to swell and constrict. In therapy, respiratory tract dilating (e.g. salbutamol) and anti-inflammatory sprays (e.g. cortisone) are used.
However, modern antibody-containing drugs are also playing an increasing role. Detailed information can be found under bronchial asthma. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
It usually develops over a long period of time from chronic bronchitis and in over 90% of cases, long-term cigarette consumption is the trigger for the disease. The diagnosis of COPD is made when a patient has had a chronic mucusy cough for at least 3 months in 2 consecutive years. COPD is not curable, the therapy aims to stop the progression of the disease.
To this end, smoking should be stopped.Symptomatically, drugs similar to those used in asthma can be used, e.g. salbutamol/cortisone sprays. Detailed information can be found under COPD. By a pulmonary emphysema one understands an overinflation of a pulmonary alveoli and/or a part of a pulmonary lobe.
This over-inflation usually develops over the course of years due to a chronic lung disease such as COPD. In this case the air remains in the emphysema and cannot be breathed out. Since this part of the lung can no longer participate in the oxygen supply and becomes functionless, patients suffer from shortness of breath and exhaustion.
You can find detailed information under emphysema. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both women and men and is the most deadly cancer in men. The development of lung cancer is not yet fully understood, but smoking is by far the most important risk factor.
Over 90% of all lung cancer patients are or have been smokers. First symptoms of lung cancer are usually persistent and possibly bloody cough, as well as weight loss. Since the lungs are well connected to the blood and lymphatic system of the body, metastases form in the body relatively quickly.
Therefore, the prognosis for lung cancer is worse than for other types of cancer. Therapy involves surgical removal of the tumor, radiation and chemotherapy. You can find detailed information under Lung Cancer.
A pulmonary embolism is the occlusion of a blood vessel that supplies the lung (pulmonary artery). Usually, this occlusion is caused by a spongy blood clot that forms in the leg, for example as part of a thrombosis, and from there enters the lung via the blood system. This blood clot is also called an “embolus”.
The area of the lung that is no longer supplied with blood because of the blood clot can no longer “breathe” and therefore the supply of oxygen to the body is compromised. Pulmonary embolism is therefore a very serious clinical picture that should definitely be treated as an inpatient. About 20,000 to 40,000 people die of pulmonary embolism in Germany every year.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease in which the lung tissue undergoes connective tissue remodeling and thus loses its ability to function. As a result, the lungs become less elastic and oxygen exchange is reduced. As a consequence, pulmonary fibrosis leads to respiratory distress, reduced performance and right heart failure.
In simple terms, pulmonary edema is water in the lungs. This water usually reaches the lungs because blood accumulates in the lungs, allowing water to pass from the blood system into the lung tissue. After the blood in the lungs has been saturated with oxygen, the blood is passed on to the left heart.
If there is a weakness of the left heart (cardiac insufficiency), the left heart no longer pumps sufficiently and the blood accumulates back into the lungs. However, kidney weakness (kidney failure/kidney insufficiency) can also lead to pulmonary edema, as the body’s water balance is generally too high and water can settle in the lungs. Patients usually suffer from shortness of breath and chronic coughing.
You can find detailed information under pulmonary edema. The word pneumothorax means “air in the chest” in German. This air normally belongs in the lungs and not in the free space between the lungs and the chest.
A pneumothorax occurs when the lung is damaged and the air can pass from the lung to the chest as if from a valve. These lung injuries can occur, for example, in the event of an accident due to a broken rib, but also when a distended section of the lung (emphysema) “bursts”. Pneumothorax can also occur in the context of other underlying diseases, such as pneumonia or lung cancer. For treatment, air can be vented from the chest through a small incision between the ribs, allowing the lung to fully expand again.
