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Respiratory Disorders

Respiratory disorders, or lung diseases, are disorders such as asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and others. More About Common Respiratory Disorders ›

TOOLS & RESOURCES

What Is Nocturnal Asthma? ›
Preparing for Summer Heat and COPD ›
Smoker's Cough? Take a Breathing Test ›

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Asthma, COPD and Your Lungs

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both lung diseases that affect a person’s ability to breath. While it is hard to tell the difference between asthma and COPD just by observing the symptoms, they do affect your lungs differently.

Learn the differences between asthma and COPD ›

Personal Story Network: Living with Lung Disease

People who live with chronic lung diseases such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis are keenly aware that the disease can literally take your breath away. Read how patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers manage the everyday challenges of living with lung disease.

Read their stories on the Patient Story Network ›

Is It Time To Get That Persistent Cough Evaluated?

Coughing is your body’s defensive reflex that keeps your airways clear of irritating or obstructing substances (e.g., mucus) so you can breathe effectively. A cough can be dry or it can be productive, meaning that you are coughing up mucus (also known as phlegm or sputum). A cough is one of the most common reasons people visit their primary care doctor.

Primary care physicians often categorize coughs into acute (lasting less than three weeks), subacute (lasting three to eight weeks), and persistent (lasting eight weeks or longer).

A persistent cough is a symptom of a wide variety of mild to serious diseases, disorders and conditions including infection, inflammation, trauma, malignancy, airway obstruction, and other abnormal processes.

Know When A Persistent Cough Requires Immediate Evaluation ›

Risk and Prevention: Lung Disease and Respiratory Disorders

The chemicals in many cleaning products can damage your lungs—especially if you have chronic obstruction pulmonary disease. Here’s how to protect your lungs while doing housework. How to Clean House without Triggering Respiratory Distress ›

Prepare for Your Appointment

Doctor visits on average last 13 minutes. Make the most of your time with your doctor with pre-visit planning. Your doctor will appreciate the active role you are taking in your health. Follow the ABCs of doctor visits: Arrive early. Be prepared. Communicate. Search HealthGrades for Top Rated Local Pulmonologists ›

Decision Guides for Breathing and Respiration Symptoms

When your child coughs, he is pushing air out of his lungs to clear his breathing tubes, which can be blocked for all sorts of reasons. Infections (from the mild a minor cold to the more serious pneumonia), asthma, and allergies are among the more common causes, but cough can be caused by other conditions as well. Answering the following questions in this health decision guide will help you understand more about what usually causes children to cough, and help you know when you should contact your doctor for medical care. Begin Evaluating Your Child or Infant's Cough ›

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