Questions and Answers on Respiratory Diseases

Respiratory diseases include conditions of the lung, pleural cavity, bronchial tubes, trachea, upper respiratory tract and of the nerves and muscles of breathing. Respiratory diseases range from mild and self-limiting such as the common cold to life-threatening such as bacterial pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.

Treatment of respiratory disease depends on the particular disease being treated, the severity of disease and the patient. Lifestyle factors such as regular exercise and healthy nutrition are important in preventing and treating respiratory disease. Vaccination can prevent some respiratory diseases. In addition, the following treatments are often used for respiratory diseases: medication, often given in an inhaled form (corticosteroids, bronchodilators, antibiotics, anticoagulants, cancer chemotherapy, immune suppressants), physiotherapy, oxygen, mechanical ventilation, liquid ventilation (or liquid breathing), surfactant replacement therapy, radiotherapy and surgery (removal of a cancer, pleurodesis, lung volume reduction, lung transplantation, artificial lung).

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