Asthma

Causes:

There are two types of asthma:

• allergic (caused by exposure to an allergen)
• no allergic (caused by stress, exercise, illnesses like a cold or the flu, or exposure to extreme weather, irritants in the air or some medications)

Symptoms:

Include:

• Dry cough
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath

Treatment:

• Long-term controls are key in stopping asthma attacks before they start.
• In case of an asthma flare-up, you may need to use a quick-relief inhaler, such as albuterol
• The right medications for you depend on a number of things - your age, symptoms, asthma triggers and what works best to keep your asthma under control

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Causes:

• It is most often caused by smoking

Symptoms:

• You have a cough that won't go away
• You often cough up mucus
• You are often short of breath, especially when you exercise
• You may feel tightness in your chest

Treatment:

• Slow down the disease by quitting smoking
• Limit your symptoms, such as shortness of breath, withmedicines.
• Increase your overall health with regular activity.

Chronic Bronchitis

Causes:

• Can be caused by viruses and bacteria
• Although viral bronchitis is much more common
• In most cases, bronchitis is caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold or flu

Symptoms:

Include:

• Cough
• Wheezing
• Fever
• Chills and malaise
• Shortness of breath especially with exertion
• Some people may cough up phlegm

Treatment:

• Antibiotics

Emphysema

Causes:

• Cigarette smoking is responsible for at least 85 percent of cases of emphysema
• Emphysema can also be genetic

Symptoms:

• You can have emphysema for many years without noticing any signs or symptoms
• The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually

Treatment:

• The emphysema can't be cured
• But quitting smoking can stop emphysema from getting worse

Lung Cancer

Causes:

• Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers
• Both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke
• But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked and in those who never had prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke.
• In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer.

Symptoms:

Symptoms can take years to appear, but include things like:

• Chronic coughing
• Changes in voice
• Harsh breathing sounds
• Coughing up blood

Treatment:

• Treatment depends on type and stage of cancer
• But may include surgery
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy

Pneumonia

Causes:

· Caused by an infection in the air sacs in the lungs

 Include:

· Cough

· Fever

· Shaking chills and shortness of breath

· Can range from mild to severeTreatment: 

· People who have pneumonia usually can be treated at home with antibiotics 

 · Treatments depend on the type and severity of your pneumonia, your age and your overall health