{"id":1918,"date":"2024-12-04T11:37:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T11:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suburban-blog.abymtech.com\/?p=1918"},"modified":"2026-08-31T05:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:58:49","slug":"lung-health-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"Lung Health &#8211; Types, Causes &amp; Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1936\" src=\"https:\/\/suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-300x180.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1424\" height=\"335\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our lungs are a vital part of the respiratory system, containing two sponge-like organs in the chest. Its main function is to process gas exchange known as respiration (or breathing). While breathing in, oxygen from the outside air enters the bloodstream, and as our body uses oxygen it produces waste byproducts called carbon dioxide; which exits the bloodstream when we breathe out.<\/p>\n<p>Viruses, bacteria, or fungi can cause infections in the lungs. One of the types of lung infections is called pneumonia. Pneumonia attacks the smaller air sacs of the lungs and is caused by infectious bacteria, sometimes a virus. A person can become infected by a nearby infected person when they sneeze or cough.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#What_are_the_types_of_lung_diseases\" >What are the types of lung diseases?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#What_are_the_causes_of_lung_diseases\" >What are the causes of lung diseases?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#Understanding_the_signs_and_symptoms_of_lung_diseases\" >Understanding the signs and symptoms of lung diseases<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#Are_your_lungs_at_risk\" >Are your lungs at risk?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#Recommended_tests_for_lung_diseases\" >Recommended tests for lung diseases<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/#How_to_keep_your_lungs_healthy\" >How to keep your lungs healthy?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_types_of_lung_diseases\"><\/span><b><strong>What are the types of lung diseases?<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Some common lung diseases include<b>:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><strong>Asthma:<\/strong><\/b> A condition wherein the airways of a person become inflamed, tightened, and bulged, as well as produce extra mucus, making it difficult to breathe. Involves inflammation of the lungs that contracts the muscles around your airways, causing chest wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. The bronchial tubes tighten, and airflow is decreased as the lungs expand. Whereas that in allergies are an immune system response, or oversensitivity, to an environmental &#8220;trigger&#8221; (known as an allergen), such as pollen, mould, dust, pet dander, or certain foods, to name a few.<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): <\/strong><\/b>A set of progressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/health-library\/lungs\">lung diseases<\/a> obstructing the airflow and makes breathing difficult. The most frequent causes of COPD are smoking, air pollution, and exposure to biomass smoke.<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Lung Cancer:<\/strong><\/b> A condition where cancerous cells develop and grow in the lungs, often occurs in people who smoke.<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Respiratory Tract Infections: <\/strong><\/b>Any infectious disease that occurs on the upper or lower respiratory tract. These can be caused by bacteria, viruses (like influenza or SARS-CoV-2) or even fungi. Upper respiratory tract infections affect the nasal passages, the sinuses, tonsils, pharynx etc. Lower respiratory tract infections are those which affect the larynx, trachea, and the lungs. Lower respiratory tract infections can range from bronchitis to pneumonia.<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Restrictive lung disease<\/strong><\/b> is a condition that makes it difficult for people to fully extend their lungs with air.\n<ul>\n<li>Pulmonary fibrosis<\/li>\n<li>Interstitial lung disease<\/li>\n<li>Sarcoidosis<\/li>\n<li>Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis<\/li>\n<li>Pneumoconiosis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_causes_of_lung_diseases\"><\/span><b><strong>What are the causes of lung diseases?<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Air pollution and occupational exposure to airborne pollutants can predispose to asthma &amp; restrictive lung disease. Smoking is the primary culprit when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/biomarkers-in-lung-cancer-overview\/\">lung cancer<\/a>. Lung diseases like asthma are also influenced by genetics.<\/p>\n<p>Microorganisms prevalently responsible for infections like bronchitis and pneumonia include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><strong>Virus &#8211; <\/strong><\/b>influenza virus or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Bacteria &#8211; <\/strong><\/b>Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydia pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia (most common), Hemophilus influenza, and Bordetella pertussis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fungal lung infection can also be caused by fungi such as Pneumocystis jirovecii, Aspergillus, or Histoplasma capsulatum is more prevalent in immunosuppressed people due to specific cancer, HIV, or immunosuppressive medications.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_the_signs_and_symptoms_of_lung_diseases\"><\/span><b><strong>Understanding the signs and symptoms of lung diseases<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A lung infection can cause mild to severe symptoms depending on several factors, including our age and general health, and whether the disease is caused by a virus, fungus, or bacteria.<\/p>\n<p>Symptoms may resemble those of a cold or flu, but they last longer. The following are the general signs and symptoms of a lung disease and infection:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cough along with thick mucus<\/li>\n<li>Stabbing chest pain<\/li>\n<li>Fever<\/li>\n<li>Body ache<\/li>\n<li>Runny nose<\/li>\n<li>Shortness of breath<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Wheezing<\/li>\n<li>Bluish skin or lips<\/li>\n<li>Crackling or rattling sounds from lungs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_your_lungs_at_risk\"><\/span><b><strong>Are your lungs at risk?<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Some of the significant risk factors one should watch out for include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tobacco smoke<\/li>\n<li>Second-hand tobacco smoke<\/li>\n<li>Other indoor air pollutants<\/li>\n<li>Outdoor air pollutants<\/li>\n<li>Allergens<\/li>\n<li>Occupational agents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recommended_tests_for_lung_diseases\"><\/span><b><strong>Recommended tests for lung diseases<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At Suburban Diagnostics, we offer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><strong>Spirometry: <\/strong><\/b>A lung test that measures the strength of the lungs based on the total amount of air that can be exhaled and how fast it can be expelled.<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Chest X-ray: <\/strong><\/b>to observe the lung structure and chest cavity<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>BioFire Pneumonia:<\/strong><\/b> uses PCR technology to identify genetic material of 33 different bacteria\/virus to diagnosis patients in about an hour<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>H1N1 Plus Panel \/ H3N2 Panel:<\/strong><\/b> used to diagnose influenza\/swine flu<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>COVID-19 testing:<\/strong><\/b> to detect the presence of virus in the lungs<\/li>\n<li><b><strong>Flu-ID Panel:<\/strong><\/b> Tests for H1N1 and COVID from a single sample<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_keep_your_lungs_healthy\"><\/span><b><strong>How to keep your lungs healthy?<\/strong><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoking<\/li>\n<li>Limit exposure to outdoor pollution<\/li>\n<li>Use protective gear \u2013 mask for instance<\/li>\n<li>Exercise and reduce weight if overweight<\/li>\n<li>Practice breathing exercises like yoga<\/li>\n<li>Eat healthy (food rich in antioxidants &#8211; berries, spinach, carrots etc.), avoiding junk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our lungs are a vital part of the respiratory system, containing two sponge-like organs in the chest. Its main function is to process gas exchange known as respiration (or breathing). While breathing in, oxygen from the outside air enters the bloodstream, and as our body uses oxygen it produces waste byproducts called carbon dioxide; which<span class=\"post-excerpt-end\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/lung-health-overview\/\" class=\"themebutton\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"full":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false]},"categories_names":{"4":{"name":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/general\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-300x180.webp",300,180,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9.webp",1000,600,false],"shuttle-column1-1\/3":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-1000x380.webp",1000,380,true],"shuttle-column1-1\/4":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-1000x285.webp",1000,285,true],"shuttle-column2-1\/2":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-570x285.webp",570,285,true],"shuttle-column2-2\/3":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-570x380.webp",570,380,true],"shuttle-column3-1\/3":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-380x107.webp",380,107,true],"shuttle-column3-2\/3":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-380x254.webp",380,254,true],"shuttle-column4-2\/3":["https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/72aa1608-e129-496c-9155-77a5dc5471b9-285x190.webp",285,190,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Team Suburban Diagnostics","author_link":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/author\/suburban\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/general\/\" rel=\"category tag\">General<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Our lungs are a vital part of the respiratory system, containing two sponge-like organs in the chest. Its main function is to process gas exchange known as respiration (or breathing). While breathing in, oxygen from the outside air enters the bloodstream, and as our body uses oxygen it produces waste byproducts called carbon dioxide; which&hellip;Read&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1918"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4918,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1918\/revisions\/4918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suburbandiagnostics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}