Your lungs are part of a complex system, expanding and relaxing thousands of times each day to bring in oxygen and send out carbon dioxide. Lung disease can happen when there are problems in any part of this system.
Lung diseases are some of the most common medical conditions in the world. Tens of millions of people have lung disease in the U.S. alone. Smoking, infections, and genes cause most lung diseases. Asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), bronchitis, and cystic fibrosis are some of the lung diseases. Lung function tests and X-rays are used to diagnose the problem. Many symptoms can be eased with proper treatment.