In the last post, I discussed COPD and asthma, and how to
distinguish them. I introduced the topic of pulmonary function tests, or PFTs.
Today, I would like to discuss PFTs in more detail. PFTs allow health care
professionals to make the diagnosis of lung disease and to judge how severe it
is. PFTs evaluate how well air can flow into and out... Read more
Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is, I think, one of the most misunderstood
common lung diseases. It is very important, as it is the 4th most
common cause of death in the US, and the only common cause of death that is
becoming more common, in contrast to, say, heart disease and many forms of
cancer, which are getting better and... Read more
In general, I think, people are aware that smoking is a major factor in lung disease, causing the overwhelming majority of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema), worsening asthma, and contributing to heart disease. In fact, smoking has been related to diseases of virtually every part of the... Read more
I came across an interesting article yesterday while I was catching up on soccer news. David James is an English soccer goalie who smoked for many years before giving it up about 7 years ago. He discusses many of the strategies he tried to use to stop smoking, and the influence that new rules and regulations had on his success in quitting. (Reader... Read more