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.
Pulmonary lymphoma is a malignant lymphoproliferative tumor of extranodal localization originating from lymphoid formations of the bronchopulmonary system. Disease clinic consists of nonspecific symptoms (blurred weakness, periodic subfebrility) and signs of respiratory tract damage (unproductive cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc.). The diagnosis is made on the basis of radiological data (radiography, CT, MSCT…
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a disease that occurs as a result of tumor–like proliferation of smooth muscle fibers along the course of small bronchi, lymphatic and blood vessels, leading to cystic transformation of the pulmonary parenchyma and damage to the lymphatic system. It develops mainly in women of childbearing age. It is manifested by progressive shortness of…
Pulmonary heart disease is a pathology of the right parts of the heart, characterized by an increase (hypertrophy) and dilation (dilation) of the right atrium and ventricle, as well as circulatory insufficiency, developing due to hypertension of the small circulatory circle. The formation disease is facilitated by pathological processes of the bronchopulmonary system, lung vessels,…
Pulmonary hemorrhage is a dangerous complication of various respiratory diseases, accompanied by the outflow of blood from bronchial or pulmonary vessels and its release through the airways. Pulmonary bleeding is manifested by coughing with the release of liquid scarlet blood or clots, weakness, dizziness, hypotension, fainting. For diagnostic purposes, lung X-ray, tomography, bronchoscopy, bronchography, angiopulmonography,…
Pulmonary hypertension is a threatening pathological condition caused by a persistent increase in blood pressure in the vascular bed of the pulmonary artery. The increase in pulmonary hypertension is gradual, progressive in nature and ultimately causes the development of right ventricular heart failure, leading to the death of the patient. The most common pulmonary hypertension…
Pulmonary cryptococcosis is a severe respiratory mycosis that occurs mainly in patients with severe immune disorders infected with pathogenic yeast–like fungi of the genus Cryptococcus. The clinical course resembles pneumonia, manifested by cough, shortness of breath, fever, hemoptysis. In some cases, pulmonary cryptococcosis is asymptomatic. The disease is diagnosed with the help of radiography and…
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is one of the variants of interstitial lung disease, which is characterized by damage to the bronchioles, alveolar passages and alveoli. The reasons for its development are unknown. The disease is manifested by an unproductive cough, chest pain, shortness of breath and asthenic syndrome. The diagnosis of the disease is carried out…
Valvular pneumothorax is the ingress and increasing increase in the volume of air in the pleural cavity due to the development of a valve mechanism that passes air from the environment or lung into the pleural cavity and prevents its exit in the opposite direction. Disease is characterized by sharp pain in the chest, subcutaneous…
Mediastinal cyst are a large group of cavity formations of mediastinal space of congenital and acquired nature. Pathology may have an asymptomatic course or be accompanied by signs of compression of surrounding organs (bronchi, esophagus, atria, arteries), disrupting their function. Diagnosis involves polypositional X-ray and chest X-ray, esophagus, heart; tomography; bronchoscopy, pneumomediastinography, mediastinoscopy, fine needle…
Lung cyst is a pathological cavity in the lung parenchyma filled with air or liquid contents. The course of a lung cyst can be asymptomatic, clinically pronounced (with shortness of breath, cough, heaviness and chest pain) and complicated (infection, pneumothorax, bleeding, etc.). The main diagnosis of the cyst is X-ray, including an overview chest x-ray,…
