A Study Of The Lungs

Restrictive Lung Sleep Disorders
By Seth Miller

Getting the right amount of good quality sleep is essential for maintaining the physical and emotional health of a person. Nowadays, many people do not get enough sleep and suffer from sleep disorders. According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, over 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders severe enough to affect their daily activities.

Sleep disorders occur due to a variety of causes such as alcohol, drugs, coffee, soda, poor nighttime habits, neurological problems, or problems arising from restrictive lung disease. Restrictive lung disease is a chronic lung disorder that decreases the ability of lungs to expand. It also decreases the ability of the lungs to transfer oxygen to meet the body’s needs.

People suffering from restrictive lung disease exhibit a wide range of oxygenation and breathing abnormalities during sleep. Frequent early morning awakenings and more daytime sleepiness are also found in people with restrictive lung disease. The treatment for sleep disorders due to restrictive lung disease should be comprehensive and should consider physiologic and psychological factors as well.

Interstitial pulmonary lung diseases such as sarcoidosis, granulomatous disorder, and extrapulmonary restrictive lung diseases including scoliosis are the most common restrictive lung diseases. Pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and pneumonia are some of the instances of restrictive lung disease.

Sleep disorders are quite common in patients with both extrapulmonary restriction and interstitial pulmonary restriction. Patients who suffer from extrapulmonary restriction such as kyphoscoliosis are susceptible to develop severe apneas during sleep, mainly during the REM stage of sleep.

Sleep quality is generally low in patients with interstitial lung disease. People suffering from interstitial lung disease breathe in a rapid and shallow manner during sleep. Certain patients with interstitial lung disease have great abnormalities in the sleep structure. Patients with interstitial lung disease are susceptible to develop hypoxemia when snorting.

The use of nebulized morphine is found effective in patients with interstitial lung disease for breathlessness reduction. Oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, lung transplantation, and hormone therapy are other options to treat patients suffering from interstitial lung disease.

Sleep Disorders provides detailed information on Sleep Disorders, Sleep Disorder Centers, Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Causes of Sleep Disorders and more. Sleep Disorders is affiliated with Central Sleep Apnea.

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Collapsed Lung
By Roberts Baird

What is this Condition?

Collapsed lung is an accumulation of air or gas between the membranes that enclose the lungs. The amount of air or gas that’s trapped determines the degree of lung collapse. In a tension pneumothorax, the air in the membranes is under higher pressure than air in the adjacent lung and blood vessels. Without prompt treatment, a tension or a large pneumothorax results in fatal lung and circulatory impairment.

Pneumothorax can also be classified as open or closed. In open pneumothorax (usually the result of injury), air flows between the lung membrane and the outside of the body. In closed pneumothorax, air reaches the membrane space directly from the lung.
What Causes it?

Spontaneous pneumothorax usually occurs in otherwise healthy adults ages 20 to 40. It may be caused by air leakage from ruptured blebs (blisterlike accumulations of fluid) that are present at birth. It also may be caused by an emphysematous bleb that ruptures during exercise or coughing or from tuberculosis or cancer. The lung may also collapse spontaneously in interstitial lung disease.

Traumatic pneumothorax may be caused by chest surgery; a penetrating chest injury, such as a gunshot or knife wound; or the removal and analysis of lung tissue.

In tension pneumothorax, positive pressure in the lung membrane develops as a result of any of the causes of traumatic pneumothorax. When air enters the membrane through a tear in lung tissue and is unable to leave the same way, each inward breath traps air in the membrane, resulting in positive pressure. This in turn causes collapse of the lung and impaired return of blood through the veins. Decreased filling of the great veins of the chest diminishes cardiac output and lowers blood pressure.

What are its Symptoms?

The cardinal features of a collapsed lung are sudden, sharp chest pain (exacerbated by movement of the chest, breathing, and coughing); asymmetrical chest wall movement; shortness of breath; and bluish skin discoloration. In moderate to severe pneumothorax, profound respiratory distress may develop, with signs of tension pneumothorax: weak and rapid pulse, pallor, neck vein distention, anxiety.

Tension pneumothorax produces the most severe respiratory symptoms; a spontaneous pneumothorax that releases only a small amount of air into the lung membrane may cause no symptoms.

How is it Diagnosed?

Sudden, sharp chest pain and shortness of breath suggest pneumothorax. A chest X-ray showing air in lung membrane confirms this diagnosis.
How is it Treated?

Treatment is conservative for spontaneous pneumothorax in which no signs of increased membrane pressure (indicating tension pneumothorax) appear, lung collapse is less than 30%, and the person has no shortness of breath or other signs of distress.

The treatment consists of bed rest; careful monitoring of blood pressure, pulse rate, and respirations; oxygen administration; and possibly, removal of air with a needle. If more than 30% of the lung has collapsed, a chest tube may be inserted to restore pressure.

Recurring spontaneous pneumothorax requires surgery. Traumatic and tension pneumothorax require chest tube drainage; traumatic pneumothorax may also require surgery.

Robert Baird author of the article provides you with the information about the diseases blog such as blood disorders breathing disorders their treatment and details about cancer

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Symptoms And Genetic Aspects Of Bronchitis And Emphysema
By Groshan Fabiola

A simple cough mustn’t be ignored. If this cough transforms into a persistent productive cough with an excessive airway mucus secretion we can think that it is bronchitis. if the process becomes chronic and the cough and sputum persists for minimum three or six months during one or two years with very short periods in which the cough disappears, the diagnosis is sure. All this symptoms leads to the diagnosis of Bronchitis, a disease of the lungs from the COPD category. In Bronchitis the large and small airways can be obstructed and it becomes very difficult to move air in and out of the lungs.

Another aspect is the deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin. This deficiency is caused by the loss of elastin which is a structural protein. All this leads to Emphysema. Because elastin is involved in the maintenance of the strength of the alveolar walls, in Emphysema there will be a permanent destruction of the alveoli.

There is a form of Emphysema influenced by a long period of smoking called “Smoker’s Emphysema”. It develops usually in older patients. Another type of Emphysema is the one with a hereditary transmission. In this case there is a deficiency of alpha-i-antitrypsin (AAT), but just one to three percent of all cases of Emphysema are due to AAT deficiency. This happens because in the lungs, at cells level there is an imbalance between elastin and AAT. The reaction between this two proteins is mediate by an enzyme called elastase. When there is a genetic deficiency of AAT the elastin degradation occurs unchecked. This phenomenon is worsen if the patients with genetic deficiency of AAT smoke and the symptoms appears early middle age. The deficiency of ATT is detected by blood tests made in specialized laboratories.

Regarding Smoker’s Emphysema and the hereditary one studies showed that in the lungs cells the mechanism is the same. One of the tobacco smoking effects is the elastese-AAT imbalance. The explanation is that smoking stimulates excessively release of elastase. There was also confirmed the theory that the inhaled smoke stimulates the migration in the lungs of the elastase producing cells. Another aspect of smoking is the effect of the oxidants from the cigarette smoke. The antioxidants inactivate a significant portion of the elastase inhibitors and as a consequence it is upsetted the elastase-antielastase balance. But there are also other factors in addition to smoking effects that influences the development of Emphysema. Nowadays the effect of these other factors is not very clear. There was estimated that only twenty percent of smokers develop Emphysema.

For more resources on bronchitis or especially about acute bronchitis please click this link http://www.bronchitis-guide.com/acute-bronchitis.htm

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Emphysema Disease - Is N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) A Cure?
By Stewart Hare

• What is n-acetyl cysteine (NAC)?
• Why is n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) good for emphysema disease?
• How much n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) should you take for emphysema disease?

What Is N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)?

The amino acid n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) helps to increase the levels of the powerful antioxidant glutathione in the respiratory track.

Apart from emphysema, n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements can help with the following health conditions:

• Bronchitis
• Ear Infections
• Lung Damage
• Sinusitis
• Viral Illnesses

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is extremely good at reducing mucus production associated with respiratory conditions such as emphysema and bronchitis.

Why Is N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) Good For Emphysema Disease?

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is good for emphysema disease.

It is not only the anti-mucus properties of n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) which can help to alleviate the symptoms associated with emphysema disease, but n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) can also act as an antioxidant and protect against lung tissue damage.

How Much N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) Should You Take For Emphysema Disease?

To help with the symptoms associated with emphysema disease, you can take up to 500mg of n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements three times a day.

Warning: please consult your doctor before taking any supplements.

If you are a peptic ulcer sufferer, do not take n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements.

So, to sum up…

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an amino acid which can help to increase the levels of the powerful antioxidant glutathione in the respiratory track.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is good at reducing mucus production in the respiratory track and its antioxidant properties can help to protect against lung tissue damage associated emphysema disease.

Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh

Download ‘How To Beat Emphysema Naturally’ Free E-book

Website: NewBeingNutrition.com

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