Asthma is a serious disease of the respiratory system when the airways are constricted, inflamed and lined with rather excessive amount of so-called mucus in some cases because of environmental stimulant or allergen, excessive exercises, cold air or even psychological stresses. Asthma is sometimes characterized by chronic respiratory impairment. Some patients have just episodic symptoms caused by exercises, airborne allergens and pollutants, upper respiratory infection.
The first signs of asthma are: rapid breathing, tachypnea, tachycardia, prolonged expiration, over-inflation of chest, etc. During severe asthmatic attacks the patient can turn blue because of oxygen lack. Emphysema is chronic obstructive lung disease. Often emphysema is caused by tobacco smoking and toxic chemicals. With disease progression, human lungs are becoming less and less efficient because disease damages millions of alveoli and in the result the lungs loose their elasticity.
A person with emphysema cannot exhale without great effort. The symptoms of emphysema can develop only in the middle age, when it became rather had for a person to exercise or to work hard. Emphysema is also connected with such diseases as bronchitis and asthma. So the main symptoms are cough, wheeze and phlegm. If the disease is developing further, movement of chest reduces while breathing. Bronchitis is inflammation of bronchial tubes – the airways which connect lungs and trachea.
As a result, the lungs are covered with the lining which produce mucus and destroys protection of respiratory system. Bronchitis affects the organs and tissue and a person feels pains while breathing. It is harder for air to pass in and out of human lungs and, therefore, tissues become irritated. Cough is the first symptom of bronchitis. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, wheezing, pain in chest, fatigue and fever. Acute bronchitis is caused by bacteria or viruses and lasts for a week, whereas chronic bronchitis is pulmonary disease and may last for many months.