Respiratory medicine is the speciality of medicine that entails people with diseases affecting the lungs and airways.
The lungs deliver oxygen that we breathe in to the bloodstream so that it can be used around the body. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that we breathe out.
As we breathe in, air passes through the throat, voice box (larynx) through the trachea (windpipe). The tubes split into bronchi (left and right) and split into smaller airways (bronchioles) and eventually into small sacs which are like balloons called alveoli. As you breathe in these little balloons inflate and the blood flow increases to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to undergo gas exchange.
Common symptoms of lung or breathing problems include:
- Breathlessness
- Wheezing
- Long-term cough
- coughing up blood,
- Chest pains.
Are you concerned about your lungs and airways?
Make an appointment to see a specilaist to discuss your concerns.