Respiratory Disorders

Respiratory Disorders

Respiratory disorders, or lung diseases, include afflictions such as asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and others.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, nearly 121,000 Americans die of lung disease. Lung disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Lung disease and other respiratory disorders are the number one reason for death in infants.

Today, more than 35 million Americans are living with chronic lung disorders.

It helps to understand how the lungs work when trying to understand what causes the pulmonary symptoms for lung disorders.  When we breathe, the air we inhale is sucked through the windpipe into tubes called bronchial airways or bronchial tubes.  The airways branch off in many directions in the pattern of an upside down tree.

At the end of these tubes are tiny inflatable sacs called alveoli that receive the air and retrieve the oxygen from it.  When these sacs are damaged, breathing capacity is lessened. That’s the primary pulmonary symptom for COPD, which can cause any of the following:

• The airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality.

• The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed

• The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed.

• The airways make more mucus than usual, which tends to clog the airways.

HEALTHY AND DAMAGED ALVEOLI


From the National Heart and Lung Institute

Other respiratory disorders exhibit the same pulmonary symptoms.  Infectious lung disorders such as pneumonia or the common upper respiratory system diseases like the flu, the chest cold or sinusitis will cause breathing difficulties until the disease passes.  More serious problems like lung cancer and cystic fibrosis may cause permanent reduction in breathing capacity.

Lung Disorders and Their Many Causes

At least one respiratory disorder is attributed to modern medications.  Pulmonary hypertension is a lung disorder cause by the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rising far above normal levels.  It has been associated with the use of appetite suppressants; in the United States those include fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, which were taken off the market in 1997.  Removal of these and similar products has resulted in an abrupt reduction in pulmonary hypertension diagnoses, both in the U.S. and in France.

Pulmonary embolism is a more common respiratory disorder in the pulmonary artery that can be life threatening.  It involves blockage of the artery by fat, by a tumor, or by a blood clot.  Heart disease, cancer and COPD can cause a pulmonary embolism.

Infectious Respiratory Disorders

Pneumonia and tuberculosis are two more serious infectious diseases that are classified as respiratory disorders.  Fortunately, the antibiotics on the market today provide effective treatment choices so that these lung diseases need not be life threatening.  Pulmonary fibrosis is a generic term for over two hundred diseases that cause inflammation in the alveoli, the bronchial airways or in small blood vessels.

Possible Legal Issues for COPD

Perhaps the most common respiratory disorder apart from colds, flu and other upper respiratory infections is chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).  This disease is brought on by smoking and/or exposure to airborne, inhaled toxins such as asbestos fibers.  The two principal components of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis, for which the primary pulmonary symptom is a permanent and progressive reduction in breathing capacity.

COPD is sometimes diagnosed as secondary to asbestos exposure.  If you have a lung disorder that restricts your breathing and believe you have been exposed to asbestos at some point in your life, you should talk with your doctor about the possible relationship between the two.  You should also consult an attorney about compensation for health problems caused by the asbestos.