Review of the Chest CT Differential Diagnosis of Ground-Glass Opacities in the COVID Era | Radiology
Lung Disease News
Apr. 16, 2024 — A recent breakthrough study has shown potential to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients suffering from lung ...
Apr. 12, 2024 — A recent study uncovers a pathway used during normal wound healing that has the potential to reverse ...
Apr. 11, 2024 — Although lung cancer is traditionally thought of as a 'smoker's disease,' a surprising 15-20% of newly diagnosed lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked, many of whom are in ...
Apr. 10, 2024 — Findings show a newly created drug can prevent runaway inflammation while still allowing the immune system to handle the virus, even when given late into ...
Apr. 10, 2024 — One of the molecules responsible for triggering the inflammation that causes allergic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, has just been discovered. This molecule, from the ...
Apr. 4, 2024 — Researchers have made a breakthrough into how two chronic respiratory diseases in childhood affect the immune system, paving the way for better ...
Mar. 29, 2024 — Branching patterns are prevalent in our natural environment and the human body, such as in the lungs and kidneys. For example, specific genes that express growth factor proteins are known to ...
Mar. 26, 2024 — A new study suggest that using CXCL9 and CXCL10-producing dendritic cells alongside immunotherapy can be a promising strategy to overcome treatment resistance and improve clinical outcomes for ...
Mar. 25, 2024 — By evaluating sound vibrations produced by the airflow induced within the lungs and bronchial tree during normal breathing as well as those produced by the larynx during vocalizations, doctors can ...
Mar. 21, 2024 — New research finds a direct communication path between the lungs and the brain which may change the way we treat respiratory infections and chronic conditions. The lungs are using the same sensors ...
Mar. 15, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a potential way to predict which patients with severe COVID-19 are likely to recover well and which are likely to suffer 'long-haul' lung problems. That finding ...
Mar. 12, 2024 — Researchers may have discovered a mechanical explanation for instability observed in the lungs in cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), particularly in the aftermath of respiratory ...
Mar. 11, 2024 — Scientists trained a machine-learning algorithm to predict accurately brain metastasis using biopsy samples from early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. It was also highly accurate in ...
Mar. 6, 2024 — Study in mice reveals novel gasping reflex triggered by cells in the lungs when the airway is ...
Feb. 28, 2024 — Researchers built a new atlas of lung cells, uncovering new cellular pathways and precursors in the development of lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. These findings open the ...
Feb. 15, 2024 — Biomedical engineers have developed a technique that uses inhalation of exosomes, or nanobubbles, to directly deliver IL-12 mRNA to the lungs of ...
Feb. 14, 2024 — Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu ...
Feb. 12, 2024 — New research finds that premature lungs become stiffer than adult lungs under stress. This disrupts the function of transporters that are important for removing water from the lungs after ...
Feb. 8, 2024 — Lung tumors called adenocarcinomas sometimes respond to initially effective treatments by transforming into a much more aggressive small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that spreads rapidly and has few ...
Feb. 7, 2024 — Scientists discovered a novel self-perpetuating cancer mechanism in the lung microenvironment, wherein EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma cells exploit lung-resident macrophages -- remodeling them to ...
Lung Disease: Facts You Need To Know
In August 2019, Angie Abad went to the ER to be treated for a respiratory infection. Medical workers there tested her and prescribed meds, but Abad "never really felt right after that."
After a second respiratory infection and growing problems with breathing, her local hospital still couldn't put a finger on the problem. Finally, a more specialized hospital nearby ran more breathing and lung tests and diagnosed her with the lung disease COPD.
But the diagnosis and the treatments that followed -- including extra oxygen, a nebulizer, and an inhaler -- still left Abad, who is 50 and lives in Denver, without answers to mounting questions. She felt even worse about her condition because she'd watched her father die of the same disease 8 years before.
"I didn't know any questions to ask my pulmonologist," Abad says. "I've just taken the meds she's put me on and left it at that. No one has told me what to expect, possible side effects of meds, or [other] things I would experience."
She didn't find much more support from friends, either. "When you tell people about your diagnosis of COPD, they say, 'Oh,'" she says. "There isn't enough awareness. People don't understand the daily struggles of this disease."
David Mannino, MD, a pulmonologist in Lexington, KY, and the medical director and co-founder of the COPD Foundation, agrees that too many people with lung disease remain in the dark after diagnosis.
On top of people not knowing what questions to ask, "One of the challenges we always seem to have is, a lot of people think it's some type of death sentence. It's not," he says. Mannino has been treating some COPD patients for 15 to 20 years.
Another factor is people with COPD perhaps not knowing they can seek -- and deserve -- support. "A lot of people go into it with shame and blame," Mannino says. For example, smokers might react to their diagnosis by realizing their habit helped set the stage to get the disease. But the guilt should stop there.
"You are dealing with something that is incredibly addicting," Mannino says. "And it's not that way by accident," he says, referring to tobacco companies' longtime knowledge of the harms the substance causes. Even if you can trace the cause of COPD to your lifestyle, this is a time to be gentle on yourself.
Abad filled the many gaps in her grasp of her medical condition "through research, COPD groups, and personal experience."
Her journey has turned up many points she feels are key for people with lung disease to cover with their doctors, answers she wished she'd had all along. They include:
A special question for her was if altitude makes COPD worse. She's newly moved to Denver, which clocks in at 1 mile above sea level. A higher altitude can tax your breathing, mainly at first.
Mannino says he often hears people who have moderate to severe COPD say they wished they'd gone to a pulmonary rehab center or other educational program years before. In these programs, people learn earlier rather than later how to, for example, stretch and breathe properly. They're also taught to fend off panic attacks and times when they can't catch their breath with methods like pursed lip breathing. It's a technique in which you inhale through your nose and breathe out through puckered lips.
Some exercises can actually be fun, Mannino notes, such as playing the harmonica. The higher notes provide ideal breathing workouts.
Such programs also teach people with lung disease how to use meds and lung devices the right way. "Patients learn too late that different respiratory meds require different techniques as to how to use them correctly," Mannino says. "Even physicians might not know how to use these correctly."
However, "the number of rehab programs for COPD are far too few," especially in rural places, he says. The COVID-19 pandemic and its limits on people getting together for anything "nonessential" has made it even harder to get into these programs. Doctors also expect some people who've had COVID will need pulmonary rehab, which will put more strain on the system.
Technology has made it simple for anyone to access disease support, though. A number of lung disease management apps have sprung up, including a free app through the COPD Foundation called the COPD Pocket Consultant Guide. It's designed for people with the disease and their families. You can download it from the foundation website or Google Play.
The app includes links for the right way to use meds, easy ways to track your schedules, and other useful tools rehab programs cover. "You can even print out [info] sheets to give the doctor" to prompt helpful questions and start talks that can sharpen your insights into your condition, Mannino says.
Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic
Content
ILDs are a set of unique conditions with variable degrees of inflammation and scarring of the lungs. Scarring leads to stiff lungs, and patients may present with cough, shortness of breath, and require oxygen supplementation. It can be secondary to various causes, but in some cases, the reason remains unknown despite comprehensive evaluation. These conditions are often challenging for patients due to difficulty with diagnosis and treatment. Patients will benefit from being seen at specialized centers that require close monitoring of specialized medications. Some of the patients may require lung transplantation.
There are about 200 different conditions that are categorized under ILD. The conditions commonly considered as ILDs include various disorders such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), connective tissue disease-ILD (CTD-ILD), chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and sarcoidosis. Several other rare conditions can present as ILD too. For patients with connective tissue disorders (CTD) and ILDs (e.G., Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren syndrome, Myositis), we partner with other specialties like Rheumatology to align their complex medical care. Our team consists of pulmonologists who offer expert care in this realm of diseases, along with trained specialist registered nurses, respiratory therapists, thoracic surgeons, chest radiologists, and pathologists.
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