For the patient who exhibits any symptoms of lung cancer or who has had an x-ray where something suspicious has shown up, there a several techniques available in order to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Although an x-ray will show worrying shadows, other tests will be required to determine whether or not any form of carcinoma exists.
As with virtually any disease, the symptoms of lung cancer can overlap those of numerous other conditions. However, anybody can watch out for several common signs associated with this issue.
Unfortunately, there are no known cures for chronic bronchitis or emphysema, the two major types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. However, various symptom treatment options are available that can ease discomfort and improve daily life.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is a general term that encompasses two conditions, namely chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause obstruction of the airways, though in different ways, and reduce oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange efficiency. Consequently, detailed tests are required to differentiate the two diseases. However, a set of generic tests that measure airflow, blood oxygen levels, and other factors are still used in an initial diagnosis of COPD.
COPD is an acronym that stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is used as a generic term to cover chiefly chronic bronchitis and emphysema, since these are the two major lung diseases, which obstruct airways.
Emphysema is one of the two major forms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which comes about when the alveoli become damaged. Those are the tiny sacs in the lung that exchange oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out.
The best way to explain how our lungs work is to think of them as an upside down tree. A long trunk, called the trachea, leads to thick branches. Off those branches, called bronchi, shoot smaller limbs, known as bronchioles. At the ends are the leaves called alveoli.
Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways, called the bronchi, resulting in excess mucus production. Although infections often result from this form of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), they are not typically the cause. An infection may produce acute bronchitis, a similar condition that can last days or weeks, but chronic bronchitis is persistent, lasting months or as is often the case, indefinitely.
