Number of People AffectedChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): More than 12 million people are currently diagnosed with COPD. An additional 12 million likely have the disease and don't even know it.
Pulmonary Fibrosis: About 200,000 Americans have it. About 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Pulmonary Embolism (PE): At least 100,000 cases of PE occur each year in the United States. PE is the third most common cause of death in hospitalized patients. If left untreated, about 30 percent of patients who have PE will die. Most of those who die do so within the first few hours of the event.
Who Gets Lung Disease:
Smokers, people over age 40, people with acid reflux disease, people exposed to lung irritants (i.e. pollution, second hand smoke, chemical fumes, work dust, etc.)
Symptoms:
Although there are many different types of lung diseases, most have similar symptoms. These are some general symptoms of lung disease:
- Shortness of breath
- Ongoing, mucus producing cough
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Tiredness
Treatments
Medicines: phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists, bronchodilators, inhaled glucocorticosteroids, and calcium channel blockers.
Surgical Procedures: lung transplant, bullectomy, lung volume reduction surgery
Pulmonary Rehabilitation: exercise programs, disease management training, and nutritional and psychological counseling.
Oxygen Therapy Doctors to See
Primary Care Physician, Pulmonologist/Pulmonary Specialist
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Although there are many different types of lung diseases, most have similar symptoms. These are some general symptoms of lung disease:
- Shortness of breath
- Ongoing, mucus producing cough
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Difficulty performing activities that require exertion (such as lifting a chair, or walking up stairs)
- Fast heartbeat
- Hoarseness
Less common symptoms of lung disease include:
- Blockage in the airways between the mouth and lungs, which results in a gasping sound when breathing
- Coughing up blood
- Coughing up thick mucus
- A bluish discoloration of the skin due to a lack of oxygen in the blood
Diagnosis:
Your elderly parent's doctor will diagnose lung disease based on signs and symptoms, medical and family histories, and test results. There are a variety of diagnostic tests, including:
- Stethoscope Examination: The doctor listens for wheezing and other abnormal chest sounds.
- Lung Function Tests: measure how much and how fast air is breathed in and out, and how well the lungs deliver oxygen to the blood
- Spirometry – Test that has the person breathe in and out of a tube connected to a small machine.
- Chest X-Ray and High-Resolution Computed Tomography (more detailed X-ray)
- CT Scan
- Arterial Blood Gas Test – uses a sample of blood from an artery to measure oxygen levels.
- Lung Biopsy – samples taken from lung tissue and examined under a microscope
- Video-assisted thoracoscopy – insertion of a small, lighted tube with a camera into the chest. This method provides a video image of the lungs.
- Bronchoscopy – tube passed through nose, down throat and into airways. The tube has a camera attached, so the doctor can see the windpipe and airways.
- Exercise Testing – test using stationary bicycle or treadmill
Treatment:
Medicines and vaccines
- Bronchodilators – helps airways to open and make breathing easier o Inhaled Glucocorticosteroids – help reduce airway swelling
- Flu Shot
- Pneumococcal (pneumonia) Vaccine
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation – includes exercise programs, disease management training, and nutritional and psychological counseling.
- Oxygen Therapy
- Immune surpressants
- Corticosteroids
- Nebulisers
- Inhalers
- Intravenous and long-term antibiotics
- Chest Physiotherapy and Pulmonary rehabilitation - performed by respiratory therapists
- Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV) - a tighly sealed mask helps balance carbon dioxide in the lungs
Surgery
- Bullectomy surgery (removal of large air spaces (called bullae) from the lungs)
- Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (removal of damaged lung tissues)
- Lung Transplant
There are a variety of risk factors for lung diseases, including:
- Smoking
- Age: People over age 50
- Family history of lung disease
- Exposure to lung irritants, including second-hand smoke, pollution, chemical fumes and work dust
- People with Acid Reflux Disease
- Radiation and chemotherapy. Having radiation treatments to the chest or using some chemotherapy drugs makes it more likely that your elderly parent may develop lung disease.
As a caregiver, there are many things you can do to help your loved one and cope with the stress involved. Here are a few things you can do:
Use resources: Reach out to the community. This can help you find rehab and treatment information and support groups for both the caregiver and the person with lung disease. Find out as much as you can about your loved one’s disease so that you can help them better.
Share the care: Both the caregiver and lung disease patient both need to share in the responsibility. This ensures that the caregiver is not completely overwhelmed and that their loved one can maintain some independence.
Have a plan: When there are sudden instances of acute shortness of breath, the caregiver and the lung disease patient can panic. By having a written plan, the caregiver can administer proper medication, have phone numbers handy for doctors, family, hospital, etc.