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Lungs and Airways

Learn about your lungs and airways

Photo of grandfather blowing bubbles with grandson

Healthy lungs allow you to breathe easily, without discomfort or pain. They supply oxygen to your bloodstream to keep the rest of your body healthy. When your lungs are healthy, you're more likely to be able to do the activities you love and have a good quality of life.

But some people have problems with their lungs from smoking, disease, or infection. When your lungs are unhealthy, your entire body and activity level can suffer. It's important to know how to deal with certain lung conditions so you can stay active and do the things you enjoy.

Our topics can help you learn more about lung and airway conditions and treatments. To start, explore these lung and airway topics:

More Information

Health Topics
Acute Bronchitis Acute Bronchitis: Medical History Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Allergy Shots (Immunotherapy) for Asthma Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Genetic Testing Alternative Treatment Methods for Allergies Altitude Sickness Anesthesia Anesthesia: Malignant Hyperthermia Response Anthrax Asbestos and Lung Cancer Assessing Your Asthma Knowledge Asthma Action Plan Asthma Action Plan: Green Zone Asthma Action Plan: Red Zone Asthma Action Plan: Yellow Zone Asthma and GERD Asthma and Vocal Cord Problems Asthma and Wheezing Asthma Attack Asthma Diary Asthma During Pregnancy Asthma in Children Asthma in Children: Knowing How Bad an Attack Is Asthma in Older Adults: Managing Treatment Asthma in Teens and Adults Asthma Treatment Goals Asthma Triggers Asthma: Controlling Cockroaches Asthma: Educating Yourself and Your Child Asthma: How to Overcome Treatment Obstacles Asthma: Overcoming Obstacles to Taking Medicines Asthma: Overuse of Quick-Relief Medicines Asthma: Peak Expiratory Flow and Personal Best Asthma: Pollen as a Trigger Asthma: Symptoms of Difficulty Breathing Asthma: Ways to Take Inhaled Medicines Asthma's Impact on Your Child's Life Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Barking Coughs in Children Belly-Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing) Black Lung Disease Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bullectomy for COPD Carbon Monoxide Detectors Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Protecting Your Home Caring for Your Baby's Nasal Cannula Causes of Snoring and Sleep Apnea Central Venous Catheters Challenge Tests for Asthma Chest Problems Choking Rescue for Babies Choking Rescue Procedure (Heimlich Maneuver) Chronic Lung Disease in Infants Chronic Lung Disease in Infants: Caring for Your Baby Classification of Asthma Clearing Extra Mucus From the Lungs Colds Collapsed Lung (Pneumothorax) Comforting a Child Who Has a Respiratory Illness Comparing Nicotine Replacement Methods Complications of Allergic Rhinitis Complications of Whooping Cough Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) COPD and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Deficiency COPD and Sexual Activity COPD Flare-Ups COPD: Handling a Flare-Up COPD: Lung Volume Reduction Surgery COPD's Effect on the Lungs Cough Symptoms in Children Coughs, Age 11 and Younger Coughs, Age 12 and Older Croup Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis and Exercise Cystic Fibrosis Carrier Screening Cystic Fibrosis: Alternate Ways to Clear the Airways Differences Between COPD and Asthma Dry Coughs Environmental Illness Environmental Illness in Children Environmental Illness: Evaluating Your Home or Workplace Epinephrine for Croup Flu Complications Flu Vaccine Myths Flu: Signs of Bacterial Infection Forced Expiratory Volume and Forced Vital Capacity Fractured Rib General Anesthesia Glucocorticoids for Croup Handling a Dead Bird Handling Wild Birds Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) Hantavirus: Advice for Hikers and Campers Hantavirus: Cleaning Up Rodent-Infested Areas Hantavirus: Keeping Rodent Numbers Down Hantavirus: Questions Your Doctor May Ask Health Problems Associated With Adult Obesity Health Tracking Forms and Checklists Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia (Nosocomial Pneumonia) Heart Failure: Avoiding Colds and Flu Heart Failure: Tips for Easier Breathing Heimlich Maneuver for Adults and Children Older Than 1 Year Hiccups How Asthma Develops in Children How Cystic Fibrosis Affects Breathing and the Lungs How Cystic Fibrosis Affects the Sweat Glands Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hyperventilation Influenza (Seasonal Flu) Inhalant Abuse Interactive Tool: Are You Ready to Quit Smoking? Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Affect Your Lifespan? Interactive Tool: How Much Is Smoking Costing You? Laparoscopic Surgery Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever Living Organ Donation Living With More Than One Health Problem Lung Cancer Lung Function in COPD Lung Infections and COPD Lung Surgery for Lung Cancer Lung Transplant for COPD Lung Transplant for Cystic Fibrosis Medical History for Asthma Medical History for Pneumonia Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Monitoring Asthma Treatment Monitoring During Anesthesia Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) Nasal Potential Difference Test for Cystic Fibrosis Near-Drowning Nebulizer for Asthma Treatment Ned's Story: Quitting Smoking Nicotine Gum Nicotine Inhaler Nicotine Patches Object Stuck in a Child's Airway Occupational Asthma Omalizumab for Asthma Oral Breathing Devices for Snoring Organ Transplant Organ Transplants: Antirejection Medicines Oxygen Delivery Systems Oxygen Therapy Oxygen Treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Paradoxical Embolism Physical Exam for Asthma Physical Exam for Pleurisy Physical Exam for Pneumonia Physical Therapy Planning to Be an Organ Donor Pleurisy Pneumocystis Pneumonia and AIDS Pneumonia Pollen Counts Postoperative Problems Premature Infant: Treating Underdeveloped Lungs Pressure Injuries From Scuba Diving Preventing Choking Procedural Sedation Productive Coughs Pseudomonas Infection Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Quick Tips: What to Do When You Crave Nicotine Quit-Smoking Programs Quitting Smoking Quitting Smoking: How Family and Friends Can Help Quitting Smoking: How Support Groups Can Help Quitting Smoking: Temptations and Cravings Quitting Smoking: Your Social Life Radon Radon Prevention: Sub-Slab Depressurization Rapid Sputum Tests for Tuberculosis (TB) Relieving A Cough Respiratory Problems, Age 11 and Younger Respiratory Problems, Age 12 and Older Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Risks of Smoking Cigars and Pipes Rodents That Carry Hantavirus RSV: Risk of Complications Rubber Bulbs Sarcoidosis Scleroderma Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Sleep Apnea Sleep Apnea Complications Sleep Apnea: Fiber-Optic Pharyngoscopy Sleep Apnea: Less Common Surgeries Sleep Apnea: Oral Devices Smallpox Smoking Fewer Cigarettes Smoking Journal Smoking Triggers Smoking: Choosing a Good Time to Quit Smoking: Health Risk for Family Members Smoking: Impotence and Fertility Problems Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Medical History Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Physical Exam Solitary Pulmonary Nodule Spinal Cord Injury: Assisted Cough Spinal Cord Injury: Breathing Practice Spirometry Tests for COPD Stages of Sleep Apnea Steroid Medicine for Asthma: Myths and Facts Steroid-Induced Osteoporosis Stress Management: Breathing Exercises Swallowed or Inhaled Objects Syphilis: Gummata Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse Teen Smokers: Reasons to Quit Tests for Lung Infections Thrombolytic Medicines for Pulmonary Embolism Tips for Reducing Indoor Pollutants in Your Home Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Snoring Tracheostomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Traveling With Oxygen Treating Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treating Tuberculosis in Children Treating Tuberculosis in People With HIV Treating Tuberculosis in Pregnant Women Tuberculosis (TB) Tuberculosis in Infants and Children Tuberculosis in People With HIV Tuberculosis Screening Types of Chest Injuries Using Antibiotics Wisely Using Vaporizers and Humidifiers Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for Snoring Valley Fever Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Ventilation Options for COPD Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Medical Tests
Angiogram Angiogram of the Lung Arterial Blood Gases Bronchoscopy Carbon Dioxide (Bicarbonate) Carbon Monoxide (CO) Chest X-Ray Cold Agglutinins Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of the Body Home Lung Function Test Lung Biopsy Lung Function Tests Lung Scan Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Mediastinoscopy Sleep Studies Sputum Culture Sputum Cytology Sweat Test Thoracentesis Tuberculin Skin Test

Medications
Amantadine or Rimantadine for Influenza (Flu) Antenatal Corticosteroids for Fetal Lung Development Antibiotics for Acute Bronchitis Antibiotics for Cystic Fibrosis Antibiotics for Pneumonia Anticholinergics for Asthma Anticholinergics for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Anticholinergics for Cystic Fibrosis Anticoagulants for Pulmonary Embolism Beta2-Agonists for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Bronchodilators for Cystic Fibrosis Bronchodilators for RSV Infection in Children Bupropion (Zyban) for Quitting Smoking Carboplatin Corticosteroids for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Corticosteroids for Cystic Fibrosis DNase (Dornase Alfa) for Cystic Fibrosis Docetaxel Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Erlotinib Etoposide Gemcitabine Ifosfamide Inhaled Corticosteroids for Long-Term Control of Asthma Irinotecan Leukotriene Pathway Modifiers for Long-Term Control of Asthma Long-Acting Beta2-Agonists for Long-Term Control of Asthma Mast Cell Stabilizers for Long-Term Control of Asthma Methylxanthines for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Monoclonal Antibodies to Prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Multiple-Drug Therapy for Tuberculosis (TB) Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Quitting Tobacco Oseltamivir or Zanamivir Paclitaxel Pemetrexed Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) Inhibitors for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Ribavirin for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Short-Acting Beta2-Agonists for Quick Relief of Asthma Symptoms Systemic Corticosteroids for Relief During Asthma Attacks Theophylline for Long-Term Control of Asthma Topotecan Varenicline (Chantix) for Quitting Smoking Vinorelbine Wakefulness-Promoting Medicines

Make a Wise Decision
Allergies: Should I Take Allergy Shots? Bronchitis: Should I Take Antibiotics? End-of-Life Care: Should I Receive CPR and Life Support? Flu Vaccines: Should I Get a Flu Vaccine? Flu: Should I Take Antiviral Medicine? Quitting Smoking: Should I Use Medicine? Sleep Apnea: Should I Have a Sleep Study? Sleep Apnea: Should I Have Surgery?

Take Action
Allergies: Avoiding Indoor Triggers Asthma in Children: Helping a Child Use a Metered-Dose Inhaler and Mask Spacer Asthma: Identifying Your Triggers Asthma: Measuring Peak Flow Asthma: Taking Charge of Your Asthma Asthma: Using an Asthma Action Plan Breathing Exercises: Using a Manual Incentive Spirometer Breathing Problems: Using a Dry Powder Inhaler Breathing Problems: Using a Metered-Dose Inhaler COPD: Avoiding Weight Loss COPD: Avoiding Your Triggers COPD: Clearing Your Lungs COPD: Keeping Your Diet Healthy COPD: Learning to Breathe Easier COPD: Using Exercise to Feel Better Croup: Managing a Croup Attack Cystic Fibrosis: Helping Your Child Cough Up Mucus Oxygen Therapy: Using Oxygen at Home Quitting Smoking: Coping With Cravings and Withdrawal Quitting Smoking: Getting Support Quitting Smoking: Helping Someone Quit Quitting Smoking: Preventing Slips or Relapses Substance Abuse: Dealing With Teen Substance Use

Credits

By:

Healthwise Staff

Last Revised: August 24, 2011

Medical Review:

Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

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