Lung diseases and conditions are considered some of the most common medical conditions in the world. Millions of people each year suffer from lung disease in the U.S. The most common causes of lung diseases are smoking, infections, occupational risks, and genetics. While some of the factors can be prevented, such as by not smoking, others like genetics cannot be. 

The lungs are one of the most important organs in our body. They expand and relax thousands of times per day to assist in the process of respiration and together with the heart, they perform the purification of blood through the supply of oxygen. Any disease or condition with the lungs may result in life-threatening consequences.

Types of Respiratory Diseases

There are two main types of respiratory diseases, infectious and chronic. Pulmonary infections are generally bacterial or viral. In the viral type, a pathogen will replicate inside a cell and cause a disease, such as the flu. A chronic disease like asthma is intermittent and ongoing. They can relapse and the patient can go into remission, only to suffer symptoms again a year later. For chronic conditions, you can manage your symptoms better by working with a health care specialist.

Common Lung Diseases:

• Asthma is a chronic condition that intermittently inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs. The inflammation makes the airways swell and causes periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. 
• Emphysema is a type of COPD that affects the air sacs in your lungs. When someone has emphysema, the walls between the air sacs in the lungs are damaged. 
• Acute bronchitis sufferers usually recover after a few days or weeks. Viral infections like the cold or flu are typically the cause of acute bronchitis. 
• Chronic bronchitis is a cough that lasts for several months and comes back two or more years in a row. When someone has chronic bronchitis, the lining of their airways stays constantly inflamed. 
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that makes it difficult to breathe. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. 
• Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that affects a protein in the body. People with cystic fibrosis have a faulty protein that affects the body’s cells, tissues, and glands.

How Many People Have Respiratory Diseases?

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that more than 25 million people in the United States have asthma. According to the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), about 14.8 million adults have been diagnosed with COPD, and approximately 12 million people have not yet been diagnosed.

How Is Society Affected By It?

Respiratory diseases affect people of all ages, families, workplaces, schools, cities, and states. Because of the large number of people affected, it can be a burden to the health care system. For people with chronic respiratory diseases, this can lead to higher health insurance costs and lost productivity at work or school. The National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has estimated that annual health care costs for asthma alone are $20.7 billion. 

Resource

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics