HowtoBehealthypeople - Imagine your lungs
to be like two big sponges inside your chest, which expand when you breathe in
(inhaling) and contract when you breathe out (exhaling). Air
flows from your nose or your mouth through your throat (called the pharynx),
voice box (known as larynx) and windpipe (or trachea) into your
lungs, where the air gets into the lung tissue through branching tubes (called bronchi
and bronchioles). The passages through which the air travels to your
lungs are called respiratory tract or airways.
A thin lining covers
your airways from the inside to help keep the air warm and moist. The most
common problem affecting the respiratory tract is an inflammation of this
lining caused by an infection such as a cold, but many conditions can affect
your airways and lungs. Common symptoms include :
Cough:
Coughs can be acute (in other words, they come on suddenly and last no
longer than three to four weeks) or chronic (ongoing).
Shortness
of breath: Breathing difficulties may be due to respiratory problems, but
can also be brought on by heart problems or other medical conditions.
Wheezing:
Wheezing is the noise you make when you breathe through narrowed
airways and is common in asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking dramatically increases your risk of
developing problems with your airways.
The lungs are part of a complex
apparatus, expanding and relaxing thousands of times each day to bring in
oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Lung disease can result from problems in any
part of this system.
Lung diseases are some of the
most common medical conditions in the world. Tens of millions of people suffer
from lung disease in the U.S. Smoking, infections, and genetics are responsible
for most lung diseases.