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.

Unlike asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), tuberculosis has a known cause. It results from infection by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While secondary infections are more likely when a person has COPD, due to the tendency to retain excess mucus, the bacterial infection itself is the primary cause of TB.

The association between heavy, long-term smoking and lung problems has been recognized for over one hundred and fifty years. As early as the 1860s, physicians were warning folks about the effects of smoking on the lungs and breathing. Modern research has only served to make that link clearer and more well-founded.

In order to keep your lungs healthy, there are a variety of things that you should and should not do. As is usual when talking about such things, smoking is inevitably the first thing that springs to everybody’s mind, but avoiding cigarette smoke is not the be all and end all of keeping a healthy pair of lungs although giving up the evil weed can be a big help. Many other lifestyle choices can have an influence on lung health, as well.

The two major aspects of an asthma inhaler to consider when selecting the one that is right for you are the drug and the delivery method. The type of drug will of course, be decided in consultation with your doctor. The delivery method of the drug involves a combination of advice from your physician and possibly some experimentation.

Asthma is a lung disease that creates inflamed, constricted bronchi (the major airways leading to each lung). The constriction results from contraction of the smooth muscles surrounding the airways. The inflammation stimulates excess mucus production. Because of these and other symptoms, asthma often resembles chronic bronchitis, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. However, there are differences.