Do you have any of the following lung diseases? Do you know their differences, symptoms and risk factors?
The four common chronic lung diseases are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and sleep apnea. We will specifically be focusing on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this blog. It is very important to learn about them as they may happen to anyone at anytime.
Asthma vs COPD- What are the symptoms?
What is asthma?
Airways
- Inflammation
- Tightening
- Increased mucus production
What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?
Chronic obstruction of airflow
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
Symptoms
- Chronic cough, excess mucus
- Shortness of breath especially when doing exercise
- If condition worsens, it can affect daily living
- Chest tightness
Do you know the differences between chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and asthma?
What are the risk factors?
Asthma:
- Indoor allergens (carpet, stuff animals, pet)
- Outdoor allergens (pollen, cigarette, polluted substances, chemical)
COPD:
- Chronic exposure to cigarette smoking and environmental pollutants
- Family history: lacking a protein factor, alpha-a antitrypsin