How your doctor in Valdosta, GA, can help with lung disease
If you have a difficult time breathing, it can be an unsettling experience. It can also mean it’s time for you to get checked for lung disease. The doctors at Maranatha Medical Plaza in Valdosta, GA, provide a wide variety of medical services, including diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.
You should get checked for lung disease if you experience:
- Frequent wheezing and coughing, especially while you are active
- Frequent episodes of bronchitis
- Frequent chest pain or a feeling of heaviness in your chest
- Breathing problems that interfere with your quality of life or ability to stay active
Some of the most common lung diseases include:
- Asthma is caused by airways swelling or narrowing, making breathing difficult. Excessive mucus production can cause severe coughing and wheezing. An asthma attack can be brought on by exposure to an allergen, fumes, smoke, or exercise. Asthma treatment includes short-term rescue inhalers and long-term asthma management medications.
- Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, a fungus, or a virus. When you have pneumonia, the air sacs in the lungs become inflamed, causing breathing problems. Depending on the cause of pneumonia, antiviral or antibiotic medications are often recommended. The best way to prevent pneumonia is to receive the pneumonia vaccination.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD can be caused by several conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD results in lung inflammation, which can obstruct breathing. Quitting smoking is the first course of treatment, along with medications including bronchodilators, inhaled and oral steroids, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and possible surgery.
You need to be able to breathe well to stay healthy because your body thrives on a steady oxygen supply. Lung disease can interfere with your ability to breathe, and your quality of life. To learn more about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of lung disease, call the doctors at Maranatha Medical Plaza in Valdosta, GA. Call today at (229) 247-1667.