ARDS

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, also known as ARDS occurs when there is a drop in oxygen level in the blood because of lung malfunction. This problem could prove fatal as all essential organs of the body like kidney, brain etc need blood that has high content of oxygen to function. ARDS normally is seen in conjunction with other diseases or in cases of severe diseases. It is noticed that most people are already in the hospital when they get ARDS.

Asthma

The inflammation and narrowing down airways causes the chronic disease called asthma. Some asthma -related problems are wheezing or the long whistling sound during respiration, tightness in the chest, breathlessness and severe coughing. The coughing is mostly seen in the night or early hours of the day.
Mostly asthma starts during childhood but it is not uncommon to see it start in people of various other age groups too. In US alone more that 22 million people suffer from asthma. Around 6 millions of them are kids.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis occurs when the bronchial tubes that carry air to the lungs get inflamed. Cough producing mucus is usually a symptom of bronchitis. The slimy substance that lines the bronchial tubes is called mucus. Wheezing, pain in the chest or discomfort, slight fever and breathlessness are some of the symptoms of bronchitis.

Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis is the result of injuries to the walls of the airways in lungs that could be caused by infection or some other condition. The tubes carrying air to and from lungs are called airways.

The injury is the initial part of a chain. Here the airways begin to lose their ability to clear mucus. As the mucus lining becomes thicker, it creates an atmosphere for breeding bacteria. This results in further lung infections, which become progressively severe. These infections in turn further damage the airways.

With time, the airways get scarred and get stretched and flabby. These cease to be able to transport air. This limits the flow of oxygen to other organs. When the lungs cannot supply sufficient oxygen to the body, Bronchiectasis results in other severe diseases like

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is a disease that worsens pretty quickly. It is a progressive disease that makes breathing a tough task.
Coughing followed by production of large amounts of mucus, wheezing, tightening of chest etc. are some of the common symptoms of COPD. Smoking is a major cause of COPD. Majority of people who have COPD have a history of smoking.
Other reasons for COPD could be long periods of exposure to air pollution, dust, chemical fumes or other lung irritants.

Pneumonia

Infection in one or both of the lungs can be the primary symptom of Pneumonia. The infection could be because of microorganisms like viruses, bacteria or fungi. This infection causes an inflammation of the alveoli or the air sacs in the lungs. The air sacs get filled up with fluid or pus and result in coughing with phlegm, temperature, chills and breathing difficulty.

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