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Tuberculosis: Tests and Diagnosis
Tuberculosis or TB is a contagious infection that typically attacks the lungs. The infection can also spread to other parts of the body like the spine and the brain.
February 28, 2021
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Lung Cancer: All You Need to Know
Not everyone may be aware of it but lung cancer is considered the number one killer among all cancers in the world. As of 2018, there were 2.1 new cases reported and at least 1.8 million deaths from the condition.
February 28, 2021
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How Do You Get Bronchitis?
Bronchitis develops when the bronchial tube swells and inflames. The bronchial tubes are the air passages that link the nose and the mouth with the lungs. Some of the most prevalent symptoms of bronchitis include wheezing, cough, and difficulty breathing.
February 28, 2021
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Asthma: What are the Different Types?
Asthma is one of those long-term conditions that affects the airways. It is characterized by the narrowing and inflammation inside the lungs (which restricts air supply). People with asthma may experience various symptoms.
February 28, 2021
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What are the Common Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a condition that makes breathing difficult. COPD develops gradually over many years and many patients may not even be aware they have it. Many people suffering from the condition may not experience any noticeable symptoms until they are in their 40s or 50s.
February 28, 2021
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Dyspnea: Ways to Relieve Symptoms
Dyspnea or shortness of breath is an uncomfortable condition characterised by difficulty of fully getting air into the lungs. Some individuals may experience shortness of breath for short time intervals. Others on the other hand, experience it over the long-term, like several weeks or more. Find out how to relieve symptoms of dyspnea in this article.
December 18, 2020
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What are the Different Types of Lung Cancer?
There are two main types: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The former accounts for as much as 9 out of 10 diagnoses. SCLC grows at a slower rate compared to NSCLC. If you suspect you have small cell lung cancer, it is recommended that you see the best lung cancer specialist you can find.
December 18, 2020
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Chest X-Ray: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
A chest X-ray is an imaging test that makes use of small amounts of radiation to produce pictures of the tissues, bones, and organs of the body. When used on the chest, it is used to spot diseases or abnormalities of the airways, bones, heart, lungs, and the blood vessels. An abnormal chest X-ray reading might indicate there is a possible problem in the chest.
December 18, 2020
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Asthma: What are the Common Triggers?
Asthma occurs when the airways swell and narrow and produce extra mucus. The swelling can make breathing difficult and may even trigger coughing. In some cases, a whistling sound (also known as wheezing) is also noted each time the patient breathes out. For some people with asthma, it is nothing more than a minor nuisance.
December 18, 2020
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Lung Congestion: What are the Possible Remedies?
Chest or lung congestion is often characterized by a feeling of heaviness or tightness in the chest. Lung congestion is also often caused by respiratory infection. Difficulty of breathing is typically attributed to fluid accumulation in the lungs secondary to excessive production of mucus. It is recommended that you see a lung doctor if you suspect you have lung congestion.
December 18, 2020
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What to Expect During a Methacholine Challenge Test
A methacholine challenge test is done to assess how “reactive” or responsive your lungs are to the things in the environment. A methacholine challenge test is designed so doctors can evaluate the symptoms that point to asthma such as cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Find out what to expect during a methacholine challenge test in this article.
October 21, 2020
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Pulmonary Edema: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis
Pulmonary edema is also known as lung congestion, lung water, or pulmonary congestion. When the condition occurs when there is excess fluid in the lungs. Pulmonary edema is a serious condition that requires fast treatment. Oxygen is considered the first line of defense against pulmonary edema. Medications may also be prescribed. Discover the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of pulmonary edema in this article.
October 21, 2020
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Coughs: What the Different Kinds Indicate
Coughing is one of the body’s ways to get rid of an irritant or a foreign body. When something other than air is about to enter our airways (windpipes) or irritates the throat or airway, the nervous system sends an alert to the brain. Even saliva entering into our windpipe can trigger coughs. In other cases, coughing can be a symptom of an illness or condition.
October 21, 2020
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Non-Emergency Care
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an umbrella term for a range of lung diseases that are progressive. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis can both result in COPD. A COPD diagnosis can mean you have one or more of the lung-damaging conditions or symptoms of both. If you have COPD or are experiencing some symptoms, it is recommended that you visit a COPD doctor right away.
October 21, 2020
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All You Need to Know About Asthma
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways that lead to the lungs. Asthma makes breathing difficult and can make physical activities very difficult. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 25 million Americans have asthma. Asthma is also considered the most common chronic illness among American children: at least 1 out of every 12 have asthma.
October 21, 2020
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Why Lung Cancer is On the Rise in Non Smokers?
Although smoking is a risk factor for developing lung cancer, it does not mean non-smokers are protected from the disease. Where globally, about 25% of lung cancer patients have never smoked, in Singapore almost 40% of lung cancer patients are never smokers. Lately, it has been found that the proportion of never-smokers with lung cancer has more than doubled from 13% to 28%.
October 6, 2020
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Why There is an Increased Risk of Getting Lung Cancer in Young Women Who Do Not Smoke
Lung cancer has been thought to be a man’s disease for a long time. However, research shows 80% rise in lung cancer in women. Not only is almost 50% of the lung cancer diagnosed in women, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women globally, killing more women each year than breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined. In Singapore it is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death after breast cancer.
October 6, 2020
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Why Lung Cancer Gets Misdiagnosed As Tuberculosis So Often In Asia?
The most common disease with which lung cancer gets confused with is Tuberculosis (TB) in Singapore. This is because TB is almost as common as lung cancer in Singapore and Asia—1300 new cases of TB and 1500 cases of lung cancer every year in Singapore. They look alike on the chest x ray. TB affects the upper parts of lung and so does lung cancer.
October 6, 2020
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Why Is It Hard To Implement Lung Cancer Screening in Singapore and Asia Even When It is the Number 1 Killer Among All Cancers?
Population based screening is only recommended for colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer in Singapore. In the USA however, population based screening is also done for lung cancer as it has been shown to reduce risk of dying from it. Due to differences in who and how lung cancer affects Asians versus western population, there is a need to come up with the lung cancer screening guidelines.
October 5, 2020
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What If You Have Blockage of The Wind Pipes From Cancer?
Our windpipes are hollow tubes that begin as a single tube from the lower part of our voice box (below the Adam’s apple) in our neck and end into our two lungs after dividing into two branches (left & right tubes). Like pneumonia (lung infection), Tuberculosis (TB), and cancer can affect our lungs, certain diseases can affect our wind pipes. This is also called Airway Stenosis in medical language.
October 5, 2020
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Lung Cancer Management in Four Critical Questions, and their Answers
For a long time, survival in lung cancer patients has remained poor, and hence both lung specialists and the cancer specialists have carried a pessimistic attitude toward it. However, this is rapidly changing. This article below provides the magnitude of the various aspects of lung cancer such as how many cases in a year, gender differences, and survival in lung cancer as it stands today, in the form of four questions, and their answers.
October 5, 2020
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What Does An Abnormal Chest X-Ray Mean?
If you are told that your X-Ray is abnormal, it can mean a few things. Air looks black on the chest X-Ray and the body parts or abnormalities look white. The abnormalities of the lungs that are visible on the chest X-Ray are described in a non specific manner. This means that even if the chest X-Ray is abnormal, it is hard to pin point the abnormality with 100% certainty.
October 5, 2020
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Can You Find Out The Reason For Your Cough Without Going To The Doctor?
Cough is the most common symptom of a lung disease. There are several diseases that can cause coughing. These causes can originate in the nose, throat, sinuses, wind pipes (airways), lungs, or food pipe (oesophagus). How can you then identify the cause of cough in your particular case? There is a way. First you need to ask yourself—how long have you been coughing?
October 5, 2020
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How Can You Know Whether You Have Asthma Without Seeing A Doctor?
Asthma is a condition of the lungs where the windpipes called airways, that transmit the air back and forth into the lungs during breathing are narrowed. This narrowing disables a person from moving air in and out of his lungs freely. Why some people have asthma and others do not is that in some people the windpipes are over sensitive to environmental substances causing their narrowing and in some they are not.
October 5, 2020
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What 3 Tests Are Needed To Diagnose Asthma?
Asthma is a disease of the windpipes characterized by their episodic narrowing and widening due to over sensitivity to environmental substances. Doctors test for this sensitive nature to diagnose asthma. Like your blood is collected when you need to be tested for fever, in the same way, the air in your lungs is collected and the amount is measured to test if you have asthma.
October 5, 2020
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What are the Options for Treating Advanced (Stage IV) Lung Cancer
When someone has stage IV lung cancer, he or she cannot be treated by surgery and removal of the cancerous part of the lung. The option of treatment for such patients is various types of medications that work by reaching the cancerous area by flowing through the blood. Unfortunately, though lung cancers may respond very well to targeted therapy medications at first, they almost always become resistant over time.
October 5, 2020
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Why Lung Cancer is A Number 1 Killer Among All Cancers?
Lung cancer kills more people globally than breast, pancreas, colon, and prostate cancer combined. In Singapore it’s a number 1 killer among males and number 2 killer among females with only a difference of 100 deaths between breast cancer and lung cancer in females. So why is that so? It is because it only gets diagnosed in advanced stages 70% of the time. The only time it gets diagnosed early is when patient undergoes chest X-ray.
October 2, 2020
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What is A Lung Nodule and Should You Be Worried?
Lung nodule is a “white spots,” or a “lump” in your lungs that is 3 centimetres or smaller in diameter. Like people have lump in their breasts, same way people can have a lump or several lumps in their lungs. The only difference is that if someone has a lump in their breast, they can feel it, whereas we cannot feel the lump in our lungs because our lungs are inside our chest.
October 2, 2020
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Why Chest X-Ray Can Miss Lung Cancer?
In evaluation of someone for lung cancer, a chest X-ray has several limitations. Anything that is less than 1 centimetre in diameter is not visible on the chest X-ray. Abnormalities on the chest X-ray is described in non specific terms such as a nodule, a mass, a lesion, a shadow, a consolidation, a cyst, fibrosis, or scarring etc. none indicating the exact nature and composition of the abnormality.
October 2, 2020
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Why Doctors Occasionally Miss Lung Cancer?
There are instances where doctors have missed lung cancer. Anything that is less than 1 centimetre in diameter is not visible on the chest X-ray. Even if the abnormality is larger than 1 centimetre, the chest X-ray images are not high in resolution and hence not detailed enough. Due to this, any abnormality on the chest X-ray is described in a very non specific terms.
October 2, 2020
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Is CT Scan Really Harmful As It Is Thought To Be?
The risk of radiation induced harm from a chest X-ray or a CT scan is overestimated in the community. A CT scan of the chest carries radiation dose of 0.66 milliGray and the harmful dose is >100milliGray. Moreover, we are always exposed to natural cosmic radiations all the time. If someone is still worried, they can do a low dose CT scan. Don’t avoid a chest X-ray out of fear of radiation.
October 2, 2020
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Why Young People (As Young as 30) Can Also Get Lung Cancer?
Most people think that only older people get lung cancer although it has been reported in people as young as 20 years old. The average age at diagnosis is indeed 70 years but that is only an average. 10% of lung cancers occur in people under 55, and 1.5% occurs in people under 35. Young women are affected more by the disease than young men. When lung cancer affects younger people, it tends to present in an advanced stage.
October 2, 2020