The lungs are located on either side of the heart, in the chest, behind the rib cage. They are roughly conical in shape with a rounded point at their apex/top and a flatter base where they meet the diaphragm.
Functions of the lung:
• The lungs are the main center of the respiratory/breathing system. During a normal day, you breathe nearly 25,000 times. Each and every cell of the body needs oxygen to stay alive. Lungs are helpful in gaseous exchange every time we breathe in and out.
• The major function of the lungs is to help oxygen from the air we breathe, enter the red cells in the blood. Red blood cells carry oxygen thorough-out the body, which is then used in the cells of the body.
• The lungs also help the body to breathe out Carbon- dioxide gas, as a waste product.
Major diseases affecting the lungs are-
• Asthma.
• COPD
• Emphysema
• Pneumoconiosis
• Infections like influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Pleurisy
• Lung cancer.
Common signs include– Trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough with or without blood or mucus, pain or discomfort when breathing in or out.
COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory disease, where the infection especially reaches into our respiratory tract, which includes the lungs.
COVID-19 can cause a range of breathing problems, from very mild to severe. Older adults and people who have other health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes may have more serious complications.
• As the infection travels your respiratory tract (via droplet infection), our immune system fights back. Lungs and airways swell and become inflamed, as a result. This can start in one part of the lung and may even spread to the other lung.
• About 80% of people who have COVID-19 get mild to moderate symptoms, which may include dry cough or a sore throat.
• Some people can also suffer from pneumonia, a lung infection in which the alveoli(air sacs) gets inflamed. In more severe cases, it can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS.
• Coronavirus infection also may increase the risk of hypoxemic respiratory failure or arterial/ venous thromboembolism.
Different tests can be done to diagnose lung-related problems in Covid-19 –
• Blood test
• Sputum examination
• Chest X-ray
• CT scan
• MRI
• Don’t smoke or stop smoking.
• Exercise to breathe harder or breathe deeply.
• Avoid exposure to air pollution or other pollutants.
For more information, you can visit WebMD.
