Lung Disease

Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Symptoms

Persistent cough

Tiredness

Loss of appetite – weight loss

Fever

Coughing of blood

Transmission

Spread through the air by droplets, often from when an infected individual coughs or sneezes

TB normally takes close contact with an infected person and is often spread through family, close friends and work colleagues.

Some groups of people are at a higher risk of infection:

• Those who work in care facilities• People from countries where TB is common• People with reduced immunity

Infection

Body produces white blood cells in response to the bacteria found in the lungs this leads to inflammation and enlargement of the lymph nodes that drain the lungs – primary infection

Some bacteria may remain in the lungs and cause a post-primary infection many years later. The bacteria destroy lung tissue and is more difficult to control

Distribution

Prevention and control of TB

Application and How science works

Pulmonary fibrosis

Scars forming on the epithelium of the lungs cause them to become irreversibly thickened

Shortness of breath

Chronic, dry cough

Pain and discomfort in the chest

Weakness and fatigue

Asthma An allergic reaction which leads to inflammation

of the lining of the airways. Epithelial cells secrete large amounts of mucus. Fluid enters the airways. Muscles constrict air flow to the bronchioles.

Difficulty in breathing

Wheezing

Tight feeling in the chest

Coughing

Emphysema

Disease directly related to smoking. Difficult to diagnose until the lungs have been irreversibly damage.

Lung tissue losses its ability to stretch and therefore force all the air out of the alveoli. The surface area of the alveoli reduced and the air sacs can burst.

Shortness of breath

Chronic cough

Bluish skin