Pulmonology (Latin pulmo, logos – “the doctrine of the lungs”) is a branch of medicine that studies diseases of the respiratory system: lungs, pleura, trachea and bronchi, clinical manifestations of diseases, specifics of diagnosis, methods of treatment and prevention. The respiratory system includes not only the airways, but also the central nervous system, the chest (sternocostal frame, intercostal muscles, diaphragm), the circulatory system in the lungs. Therefore, in a broad sense, the field of competence of pulmonology also includes pathology of other organs of the thoracic cavity, morphologically and functionally related to the respiratory organs.
The organs that pulmonology studies and treats, in addition to the lungs, include: vascular and nerve bundles of the lung root, lymph nodes, thymus gland, diaphragm, etc. The main function of the respiratory system is to provide gas exchange in the lungs.
Pulmonologists are engaged in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung and bronchial diseases. Surgical treatment of diseases of the lungs and other organs of the thoracic cavity is carried out by thoracic surgeons (from Greek. thorax – chest).
Pulmonology has close ties with such branches of medicine as cardiology, allergology, otolaryngology, intensive care and intensive care, oncology, transplantology.
Within the framework of pulmonology, an independent direction is distinguished – phthisiology, the field of study of which is the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. The problem of the prevalence of tuberculosis is one of the most urgent in modern medicine.
Pulmonology deals with the treatment of the following types of pathological processes:
Many respiratory diseases have a severe and prolonged course, leading to serious health consequences, shorten the duration and reduce the quality of life of patients.
Pulmonology has acquired special significance in modern medical science. Bronchial and lung diseases occupy leading positions in modern society, their share in the total morbidity of the population varies from 41% to 53%.
The rapid deterioration of the environmental situation, an increase in the level of injuries accompanied by damage to the chest and chest cavity organs, the growth of oncological diseases of the respiratory system, stress factor, occupational hazards contribute to the steady growth and rejuvenation of lung diseases.
An appeal to a pulmonologist usually occurs when characteristic symptoms of lung diseases appear: dry or wet cough, shortness of breath at rest or during physical exertion, attacks of suffocation, chest pain, increased body temperature. Lung diseases are often accidental findings during X-ray examination.
It is possible to suspect a particular respiratory disease already on the basis of complaints and auscultative picture of the lungs. The necessary diagnostic studies to clarify the nature of lung pathology are chest radiography, data on the function of external respiration, bronchoscopy, bronchography, computed tomography of the lungs, angiopulmonography. Of the laboratory methods for diagnosing lung diseases, the study of sputum for cytology, microbial flora, and atypical cells is of the greatest importance.
Treatment of lung diseases, depending on their nature, can be both conservative and surgical. Conservative measures in the treatment of lung and bronchial diseases are aimed at diluting sputum, reducing its amount and facilitating evacuation from the bronchial tree, bronchial dilatation, relieving bronchial muscle spasm, removing the inflammatory process in the bronchopulmonary system, normalizing gas exchange in the lung tissue.
Surgical treatment of diseases of the lungs and other organs of the thoracic cavity in many cases is an emergency measure to eliminate dangerous, life-threatening conditions. Planned surgical treatment of lung diseases is carried out after a detailed examination and the impossibility of conservative treatment of the disease.
The simplest and most effective measures for the prevention of lung diseases are quitting smoking and undergoing an examination by a pulmonologist once a year.
The Medical Directory of Diseases on the website “Medic Journal” presents respiratory diseases in more detail.
Fibrothorax is an overgrowth of the pleural cavity with dense fibrous tissue, leading to a restriction of the respiratory excursion of the chest and lungs. It is formed due to a long course of pleurisy, empyema, hemothorax, collagenoses. Accompanied by the inability to inhale fully, progressive shortness of breath, chest pain, dry cough, respiratory failure.…
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a pathological process based on extensive lesion of interstitial lung tissue, leading to the development of fibrous changes and respiratory failure. The progression of disease is accompanied by a steady increase in weakness, weight loss, shortness of breath, unproductive cough, chest pain, cyanosis. Diagnosis is based on the data of radiography…
Tuberculous pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura of tuberculous etiology, occurring both in dry form and with the accumulation of exudate in the pleural cavity. The main symptoms of tuberculous pleurisy are stabbing pain in the side, dry cough, shortness of breath, subfebrile or febrile body temperature, malaise. When making a diagnosis, the X-ray…
Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious pathology caused by Koch’s bacillus, characterized by clinically and morphologically different variants of lung tissue damage. The variety of forms of pulmonary tuberculosis determines the variability of symptoms. Respiratory disorders (cough, hemoptysis, shortness of breath) and symptoms of intoxication (prolonged subfebrility, sweating, weakness) are most typical for pulmonary tuberculosis. Radiation,…
Endobronchial tuberculosis is a specific inflammatory lesion of the bronchial wall caused by M. tuberculosis and usually complicates the course of tuberculosis of the intrathoracic lymph nodes (ITLD) and lungs. Disease is characterized by an uncupable paroxysmal cough with the release of scanty sputum, chest pain, shortness of breath, hemoptysis. The diagnosis is made taking…
Pulmonary embolism is the occlusion of the pulmonary artery or its branches by thrombotic masses, leading to life–threatening disorders of pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics. Classic signs of PE are pain behind the sternum, suffocation, cyanosis of the face and neck, collapse, tachycardia. To confirm the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism and differential diagnosis with other similar…
Tracheoesophageal fistula is a pathological fistula connecting the lumen of the windpipe with the esophagus. It may be a developmental anomaly or an acquired pathology. Disease is manifested by coughing attacks during meals, which are accompanied by suffocation, cyanosis, and the release of foamy sputum with pieces of food. Aspiration pneumonia often develops. Confirmatory diagnosis…
Tracheomalacia is a pathological softening of the cartilaginous framework of the trachea, leading to expiratory stenosis of the respiratory tract. It is manifested by signs of respiratory obstruction: shortness of breath, cough, dysphonia, stridor on exhalation, attacks of suffocation. Recurrent infections of the lower respiratory tract are characteristic. In the diagnosis of pathology, tracheobronchoscopy, FVD…
Tracheobronchitis is a diffuse inflammatory process that covers the lower airways – the trachea and bronchi. The duration and features of the course of tracheobronchitis are closely related to its form; symptoms usually include cough (dry or productive), soreness and chest pain, temperature reaction, malaise, wheezing, shortness of breath. The assessment of auscultative data, the…
Tracheal bronchus is a congenital anomaly of the structure of the tracheobronchial tree, in which the additional, lobar or segmental bronchus departs from the trachea above the place of its bifurcation or the main bronchus. It proceeds asymptomatically or according to the type of chronic, often recurrent inflammatory process in the lung, manifested by episodes…
