Every year over 349,000 Americans die from lung disease. That is almost one in 12 people. Lung disease is
the number three cause of death in the United States, responsible for one in seven deaths.
• Out of the top six causes of death, it is the only disease that has risen over the past thirty years.
• Lung disease and other breathing problems is the number one killer of babies younger than one year old.
• The lung disease death rate has been continuously increasing while death rates due to heart disease and
cancer have been declining.
• The number one cause of cancer death in women and men is due to lung cancer, yet funding far lacks that
for breast and prostate cancer.
• Lung disease costs the American economy $81.6 billion in direct healthcare expenditures every year, plus
indirect costs of $76.2 billion – a total of more than $157.8 billion.
There are many types of lung diseases including:
• Chronic Obstructive Lung (Pulmonary) Disease (COPD): Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema all
affect a person’s airways and limit or block the flow of air in or out of the lungs.
• Infectious Lung Disease: Pneumonia, Influenza, RSV and Tuberculosis (TB)—are infections caused by
bacteria or viruses that affect the membrane (or pleura) that surrounds the lungs.
• Lung Cancer: A disease characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.
• Respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, and pulmonary hypertension: These all
interfere with the normal gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs.
• Occupational: These include diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.
• Interstitial lung disease (ILD): Is a broad category of lung diseases that includes more than 130 disorders
characterized by scarring (i.e. “fibrosis”) and/or inflammation of the lungs. ILD accounts for 15% of the cases
seen by pulmonologists (lung specialists). Some of the known causes include:
Connective Tissue or Autoimmune Disease
Occupational and Environmental Exposures - Inorganic dust, Organic dust, Gases and fumes.
Drugs and Poisons – Chemotherapy mediations, antibiotics (rare), Radiation therapy.
Infections – Residue of active infection of any type or ongoing chronic infections.0.
When a person has ILD, the lung is affected in three ways. First, the lung tissue is damaged in some known or
unknown way. Second, the walls of the air sacs in the lung become inflamed or irritated. Finally, scarring (or
fibrosis) begins in the tissue between the air sacs (the interstitium), and the lung becomes stiff and it’s difficult to
breathe in and out. Breathlessness during exercise (or even simple walking up stairs) can be one of the first
symptoms. A dry cough may also be present. Some interstitial lung diseases improve with medication if treated
when inflammation occurs. Many individuals suffering from ILD may need oxygen therapy as part of their
treatment. Prednisone or some other corticosteroid is frequently the first medication used. Other therapies
include: Investigational therapies, Pulmonary Rehab and in advanced cases Lung Transplant.
Just as there is no single cause for lung disease, there is often no single symptom of lung disease. Some
conditions may send disease-specific signals, such as the characteristic wheezing sound made as the asthma
sufferer attempts to exhale. Other lung disorders, such as emphysema, may be evidenced mainly by increasing
shortness of breath. Soon, the slightest physical effort, something as simple as reaching for a coffee mug from
a cabinet, can result in a gasping for air. This oxygen deficiency denies the patient many of the simplest
pleasures in life. Other forms of lung disease may be signaled by persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of
breath, abnormal sputum production, bloody sputum, or any combination of these symptoms. When an infectious
agent causes a lung disease, there may also be fever and/or chills.
Any suspicion that the lungs might be malfunctioning means that a person should seek medical attention.
Unfortunately, many of these symptoms go unnoticed.
* The above information is a compilation of information from The American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org)
and from The National Jewish Medical and Research Center (www.nationaljewish.org).
the number three cause of death in the United States, responsible for one in seven deaths.
• Out of the top six causes of death, it is the only disease that has risen over the past thirty years.
• Lung disease and other breathing problems is the number one killer of babies younger than one year old.
• The lung disease death rate has been continuously increasing while death rates due to heart disease and
cancer have been declining.
• The number one cause of cancer death in women and men is due to lung cancer, yet funding far lacks that
for breast and prostate cancer.
• Lung disease costs the American economy $81.6 billion in direct healthcare expenditures every year, plus
indirect costs of $76.2 billion – a total of more than $157.8 billion.
There are many types of lung diseases including:
• Chronic Obstructive Lung (Pulmonary) Disease (COPD): Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema all
affect a person’s airways and limit or block the flow of air in or out of the lungs.
• Infectious Lung Disease: Pneumonia, Influenza, RSV and Tuberculosis (TB)—are infections caused by
bacteria or viruses that affect the membrane (or pleura) that surrounds the lungs.
• Lung Cancer: A disease characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.
• Respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, and pulmonary hypertension: These all
interfere with the normal gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs.
• Occupational: These include diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.
• Interstitial lung disease (ILD): Is a broad category of lung diseases that includes more than 130 disorders
characterized by scarring (i.e. “fibrosis”) and/or inflammation of the lungs. ILD accounts for 15% of the cases
seen by pulmonologists (lung specialists). Some of the known causes include:
Connective Tissue or Autoimmune Disease
Occupational and Environmental Exposures - Inorganic dust, Organic dust, Gases and fumes.
Drugs and Poisons – Chemotherapy mediations, antibiotics (rare), Radiation therapy.
Infections – Residue of active infection of any type or ongoing chronic infections.0.
When a person has ILD, the lung is affected in three ways. First, the lung tissue is damaged in some known or
unknown way. Second, the walls of the air sacs in the lung become inflamed or irritated. Finally, scarring (or
fibrosis) begins in the tissue between the air sacs (the interstitium), and the lung becomes stiff and it’s difficult to
breathe in and out. Breathlessness during exercise (or even simple walking up stairs) can be one of the first
symptoms. A dry cough may also be present. Some interstitial lung diseases improve with medication if treated
when inflammation occurs. Many individuals suffering from ILD may need oxygen therapy as part of their
treatment. Prednisone or some other corticosteroid is frequently the first medication used. Other therapies
include: Investigational therapies, Pulmonary Rehab and in advanced cases Lung Transplant.
Just as there is no single cause for lung disease, there is often no single symptom of lung disease. Some
conditions may send disease-specific signals, such as the characteristic wheezing sound made as the asthma
sufferer attempts to exhale. Other lung disorders, such as emphysema, may be evidenced mainly by increasing
shortness of breath. Soon, the slightest physical effort, something as simple as reaching for a coffee mug from
a cabinet, can result in a gasping for air. This oxygen deficiency denies the patient many of the simplest
pleasures in life. Other forms of lung disease may be signaled by persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of
breath, abnormal sputum production, bloody sputum, or any combination of these symptoms. When an infectious
agent causes a lung disease, there may also be fever and/or chills.
Any suspicion that the lungs might be malfunctioning means that a person should seek medical attention.
Unfortunately, many of these symptoms go unnoticed.
* The above information is a compilation of information from The American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org)
and from The National Jewish Medical and Research Center (www.nationaljewish.org).
| LUNG DISEASE – THE FACTS |