Asthma is a chronic condition that affects your lungs, causing your airways to become inflamed and narrowed, making it difficult to breathe. Imagine your airways as tiny tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. When you have asthma, these tubes can swell and produce extra mucus, leading to symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

If you are worried about your lung health, asthma itself doesn’t typically cause permanent damage to the lungs, especially if you are proactive. However, frequent and severe asthma attacks over time can lead to severe inflammation and scarring of the airways, which may affect your lung function.

Asthma is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, so genetically speaking, if someone in your family has asthma, you’re more likely to have it too. Other causes include respiratory infections, allergies, and some environmental factors, such as air pollution, which can also contribute to suffering from symptoms. Continue reading →

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent lung disease primarily affecting adults. It occurs due to damage to the lung tissues, often caused by smoking or exposure to pollutants, which leads to narrowed airways and difficulty breathing.

COPD is characterized by symptoms such as a chronic cough, excess phlegm production, and shortness of breath, especially during physical activity.

A person diagnosed with COPD is at a higher risk of developing various lung complications, including lung cancer, frequent respiratory infections, and high blood pressure in the lungs, which is known as pulmonary hypertension.

Types of COPD – Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema

COPD can be classified into two types, and they can usually occur together, with varying severity. Continue reading →