What Is Chronic Bronchitis? Chronic bronchitis is one of the major conditions contributing to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Bronchitis is a condition in which the air passages of the lungs become inflamed. The inflammation occurs in the trachea (or windpipe), and in the large and small bronchi (or tree-like air passages in the lungs). Bronchitis is … Read more
What Is Emphysema? Emphysema is one of the major obstructive lung diseases under the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) umbrella. This lung condition gradually destroys the air sacs in the lungs, making it progressively more difficult to breathe. The tiny cluster-like air sacs in the lungs are responsible for bringing oxygen to the bloodstream. As emphysema progresses, … Read more
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are different types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With COPD, the lungs have developed permanent complications that affect the ease with which a person can breathe. Is it Emphysema or Chronic Bronchitis? Emphysema and chronic bronchitis can be difficult to tell apart, but each presents problems with breathing and other lung symptoms. These conditions commonly affect normal airflow … Read more
When it comes to your blood oxygen level, a second look can never hurt. Let’s be frank: if you’re currently living with a chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), or emphysema, the maintenance of your health and symptom expression is generally your top priority. Often, this can mean a particular level of scrutiny … Read more
There are two major classifications for chronic lung diseases. One group of chronic lung diseases is classified as obstructive lung disease, which includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. The other group is classified as restrictive lung disease. Examples of restrictive lung diseases include interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Understanding your condition is the first step to a better quality … Read more
For those of us with chronic pulmonary conditions, we may frequently hear our doctors and other people refer to our lung capacity. With all of the terminology that gets thrown around with a medical condition, sometimes it can be confusing to break everything down. In this post, we’re going to take a look at what … Read more
People living with chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, experience similar lung disease symptoms. Shortness of breath and decreased lung function makes breathing difficult. In addition to positioning your body for increased air flow, sometimes, doctors recommend their patients use an incentive spirometer. Incentive spirometers are prescribed after surgery or as part … Read more
Blood oxygen levels don’t have to be confusing. Let’s make sense of them together. Let’s start with the obvious: what are blood oxygen levels? And from there, what do they mean? If you live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), or emphysema, blood oxygen levels are undoubtedly an important measurement. This is because they allow you … Read more
Doctors classify lung disease as either obstructive or restrictive. The term obstructive lung disease includes conditions that hinder a person’s ability to exhale all the air from their lungs. Those with restrictive lung disease experience difficulty fully expanding their lungs. Obstructive and restrictive lung disease share one main symptom–shortness of breath with any sort of physical exertion. Here’s what you need … Read more
Having enough oxygenated blood can be challenging when you have a chronic lung disease, such as pulmonary fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For people with lung disease, lung function and lung capacity can diminish over time. Lung function is a metric determined by how much air your lungs can hold, how quickly you … Read more