Clinical Manifestations and Assessment of Respiratory Diseases

Respiratory diseases are those diseases that affect the lungs and human respiratory system. Some common types of respiratory diseases include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, lung cancer and pneumonia. The common signs and symptoms of these diseases are cough, sputum, breathlessness, chest pain, fever, headache, vomiting and nausea, weight loss, and gastro intestinal reflex. Assessment tests such as bronchoscopy, chest tube procedure, CT scan, CT scan guided lung biopsy, endobronchial ultrasound, exhaled nitric oxide test, and lung function tests are performed to diagnose respiratory diseases. The treatments for respiratory diseases include medications, therapies and surgery. Endobronchial valve therapy is a minimally invasive treatment method that improves functioning of the lungs and reduces complications like shortness of breath. Severe cases of respiratory diseases are treated with lung transplantation. This book provides comprehensive insights into the clinical manifestations and assessment of respiratory diseases. The readers would gain knowledge that would broaden their perspective about these diseases through it.