In the life of the body, two things are of great importance - nutrition and breathing. But if a person can live long enough without food, then without air - no more than a couple of minutes. Breathing is one of the basic processes by which the body is saturated with oxygen and functions smoothly. The lungs are responsible for its delivery to internal organs and tissues. Symptoms of problems arising in the work of the respiratory system are covered in detail in this article.
The danger of lung diseases lies in the low pain sensitivity of these organs. They do not have nerve receptors. If the stomach or heart can hurt, warning of possible violations, then the lungs do not. This is the insidiousness of the pathologies of the respiratory system.
It is important to know what signs may indicate problems with the lungs. If violations are recognized in time, it will be possible to prevent serious and sometimes irreversible consequences ofhe alth.
Dangerous diseases
It can take a long time to list all diseases of the respiratory system that can negatively affect a person's well-being. The most dangerous of them is cancer. The most commonly diagnosed pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, asthma. These diseases, unlike oncology, are better treated, but in the absence of competent therapy, each of them can be fatal. No less severe is emphysema, cystic fibrosis, which are more common in women. Symptoms of lung problems usually do not appear immediately.
In the fight against oncology, in most cases, victory is on the side of the disease. The chance to prolong life and improve its quality is only for those patients who have discovered the disease at an early stage and immediately began to be treated. Unfortunately, there are only a few such patients: lung cancer often does not show any symptoms. Lung problems, which we used to consider really dangerous and alarming, often manifest themselves when palliative care can be the only effective direction in treatment.
Infectious pathogens
Depending on the type of pathogen in the body, the lungs can be affected:
- mycosis;
- pathogenic bacteria;
- HIV infection;
- worm infestation.
In infectious diseases of the lungs, the cough has a completely different character, characterized by painful sputum discharge and its increased production. negativethe effect is on the lungs as a result of an autoimmune reaction, in which inflammation of the alveolitis occurs against the background of an exogenous type of allergy. This disorder is often accompanied by distress syndrome, which in its acute form causes irreversible damage to the main respiratory organ.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by a constant, tormenting cough. From birth, a child may develop cystic fibrosis, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the lungs and weak resistance of the body to any kind of infection.
Primary and secondary pathologies
If we talk about the impact on the respiratory tract and the negative impact on them, then we can distinguish quite a lot of common chronic diseases. First of all, it is asthma, which is characterized by frequent spasms that cause severe shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. The disease can be in a person from birth or develop as a complication of a neglected allergy. Speaking about the etiology of bronchial asthma, one cannot completely exclude the negative impact of the environment.
Lung diseases that have a negative effect on blood vessels - pulmonary embolism and arterial hypertension. The first is the result of thrombosis of the veins of the lower extremities. Blood clots present in the pulmonary arteries interfere with the normal supply of oxygen and blood circulation, so the patient develops shortness of breath. Hypertension is accompanied by an increase in blood pressure in the vessels of the lung. Patients feel pain inchest. Loss of fluid in the blood vessels leads to pulmonary edema and the need to put the patient on a ventilator.
The respiratory system is affected by tuberculosis and malignant tumors of various localization in the late stages. Another disease in this group is pneumoconiosis, which occurs due to the inhalation of hazardous substances that can cause any kind of damage to the organ (for example, dust of cement, coal, asbestos, etc.).
Case for concern
No doctor will be able to name symptoms that would accurately indicate a particular diagnosis and lung problems in a person. It is generally accepted that the reason for an urgent appeal to specialists is a prolonged severe cough, chest pain, and expectoration with blood. But there are other signs that seem more harmless and are not perceived as a signal of real danger. They are a major contributor to the prevalence of chronic lung disease.
Anything can provoke pathologies of the respiratory system: tobacco smoke, dust, viruses, toxic fumes, environmental conditions, etc. You need to act immediately if there are obvious signs that indicate the presence of problems with the lungs. The symptoms of an impending disease should never be ignored.
Persistent cough
Cough is not an independent disease, as some mistakenly think. This is a kind of protective reaction of the body, a reflex thatprotects the respiratory tract from external irritants and helps to remove excess mucus.
At the same time, prolonged coughing is a warning sign. Lung problems rarely show up without it. If the cough does not go away for a long time and it is not possible to get rid of it even with the help of medicines, it is better to consult a doctor.
Excess Mucus
Weak sputum excretion is a concomitant symptom of lung problems in men and women. Coughing is often accompanied by increased mucus production.
On the one hand, the semi-liquid secret performs a binding function and removes pathogenic microflora, allergens, fungi, dust from the body. During a cold, the amount of mucus increases, which is quite normal. But on the other hand, if there is more sputum and this is in no way connected with acute respiratory infections, you should be wary. Especially if, in addition to abundance, changes in the color, smell or density of mucus have become noticeable. For example, blood in the sputum may indicate chronic bronchitis or a malignant tumor.
Heavy breathing and shortness of breath
When exercising, breathing difficulty should not cause concern. But if shortness of breath began to occur more and more often and without obvious reasons, most likely with light problems. The cause of heavy breathing is the increased tension of the organ. When the lungs work harder, a phenomenon occurs that resembles an airway blockage.
Never ignore such a symptom. The problem with the lungs and bronchi can bea consequence of age-related disorders, but you should not refer solely to age. If a wheezing sound occurs when breathing, you should see a doctor. This is often a sign of narrowing of the airways. Air ceases to pass quickly and normally, which causes a characteristic wheezing. Whistling from the lungs is seen in patients with asthma, emphysema, or lung cancer.
Why puffiness appears
Patients usually know everything about their disease, including what changes are happening in their body, what are the symptoms if the lung problem is gaining momentum. However, many are sincerely surprised when they hear that swelling of the legs often turns out to be evidence of diseases of the respiratory system.
At first glance it seems that there is nothing in common between disorders in the respiratory system and the circulation of fluids throughout the body. However, weakened lung function can negatively affect blood circulation: due to a lack of oxygen, which is important for the full circulation of fluids throughout the body, they accumulate in certain areas, most often in the ankle area.
Poorly functioning lungs interfere with the normal functioning of the heart, which eventually loses its strength and pumps the right amount of blood. In turn, poor circulation of internal organs contributes to the accumulation of toxins, the retention of excess fluid in the body.
If your head hurts
The relationship between the central nervous system and the respiratory system is obvious. Headaches that recur from time to time are a reason to visit a therapist. howidentify a lung problem? The symptom in question can occur in a number of other disorders, and not just in diseases of the lungs or bronchi.
However, in some pathologies, headache is typical. For example, in obstructive disease, it is dull, pulsating, worse in the morning or after a long stay in a horizontal position.
The origin of cephalalgia in the pathology of the respiratory system can be explained by shallow breathing during sleep, as a result of which carbon dioxide accumulates in the body, the blood vessels of the brain expand, and then spasms occur.
Sleep disturbances and constant fatigue
If you believe the reviews, there is another way to identify problems with the lungs. Symptoms that would clearly hint at the disease may not be at all. But if a person’s lungs do not work at full strength, he will get tired faster even with minor loads, because without enough oxygen, all organs work intensively.
Some patients have to be more selective in choosing their sleeping position. With certain pathologies of the lungs, patients often experience discomfort while lying down, so they prefer to fall asleep while sitting in a chair.
What consequences may arise
The respiratory system is a complex structure. The lungs and bronchi are vulnerable to many viral and bacterial infections. With untimely treatment of diseases that at first glance do not represent a speci althreats, the likelihood of complications becomes much higher. As a result, the purulent-inflammatory process affects the parenchyma of the organ and affects its functionality, causing abscesses, gangrene, pneumosclerosis. Fortunately, these complications are not common. They are difficult to treat.
How do you know what's wrong with your lungs?
In many respects, diseases of the respiratory system are similar in symptoms and initial manifestations, while all of them affect the organs in different ways. For example, asthma causes damage to lung tissue. You can suspect this disease by loud wheezing, coughing, "bluish" covers and sneezing.
Acute bronchitis is more pronounced at night, accompanied by a cough with a sharp pain in the chest. In the chronic form, the cough becomes permanent. Pleurisy differs from bronchitis in that pain occurs in the chest not only when coughing, but also with the slightest movements of the torso.
For pneumonia, the most characteristic symptom is a steady increase in body temperature and shortness of breath. In this case, there may be no cough. Patients feel exhausted, they are disturbed by the presence of a feeling of anxiety, agitation, weakness in the muscles and apathy.
Signs of emphysema may not appear until the last stages of the disease. Patients have a rapid loss of body weight, a change in the color of the skin, and a barrel-shaped deformity of the chest occurs. As a rule, even exhalation is difficult for a patient with emphysema.
Early stages are hardest to diagnosemalignant lung tumor. Signs of oncology are often mistaken by patients for symptoms of a common cold. Many ignore the long-term nature of their illness, which is not typical of a respiratory illness, and seek help when real problems arise.
Symptoms of pulmonary edema in cancer patients are the result of an increased concentration of exudate in the pleura. Usually, edema occurs in the last stages and indicates the exhaustion of the body as a whole. Often this disorder is accompanied by cardiovascular insufficiency. Without proper medical attention, pulmonary edema is fatal. Its signs are:
- sudden suffocation;
- foamy pinkish sputum;
- wet rales;
- swollen neck veins;
- palpitations;
- lower blood pressure;
- moist rales in the lungs.
About prevention measures
So far, doctors do not know of any one hundred percent way that would prevent tuberculosis, cancer or other dangerous diseases of the respiratory system. First of all, the guarantee of he alth is a periodic examination in the clinic and maintaining a he althy lifestyle. To prevent problems with the lungs, you must:
- give up bad habits and avoid passive smoking;
- go outdoors more often;
- avoid prolonged stay in places with unfavorable environmental conditions, industrial areas, etc.;
- get indoor plants in the house to improve air quality;
- exercise;
- eat right.
