Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Respiratory Diseases
Number of Conditions: 5
Asthma
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity
Sub-category: Respiratory Diseases
Symptoms:
wheezing; shortness of breath; chest tightness; coughing, especially at night or early morning
Root Cause:
Chronic inflammation of the airways, leading to narrowing and obstruction. Triggered by allergens, irritants, or respiratory infections.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Spirometry (to assess airflow and lung function), peak flow measurement, allergy tests, and clinical history.
Treatment:
Avoiding triggers, inhaled corticosteroids, bronchodilators, leukotriene modifiers, and biologics for severe cases.
Medications:
Short-acting beta-agonists (like albuterol ), long-acting beta-agonists (like salmeterol ), inhaled corticosteroids (like budesonide ), leukotriene modifiers (like montelukast ).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Asthma affects approximately 10% of the global population, with higher prevalence in children and young adults.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history of asthma, exposure to allergens (pollen, dust mites, pet dander), respiratory infections during childhood, air pollution, smoking.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With proper management, asthma can often be controlled, though it may persist into adulthood or worsen with age.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Severe asthma attacks, respiratory failure, and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity
Sub-category: Respiratory Diseases
Symptoms:
shortness of breath; chronic cough; wheezing; chest tightness; frequent respiratory infections; fatigue
Root Cause:
Progressive airflow limitation due to inflammation and narrowing of the airways, often caused by smoking or long-term exposure to lung irritants.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Pulmonary function tests (spirometry) to measure lung capacity and airflow, chest X-ray, and blood tests (ABGs - arterial blood gases).
Treatment:
Smoking cessation, bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and in severe cases, lung surgery or transplantation.
Medications:
Short-acting bronchodilators (like albuterol ), long-acting bronchodilators (like salmeterol ), inhaled corticosteroids (like fluticasone ), and phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors (like roflumilast ).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
COPD affects around 10% of the global adult population, with a higher prevalence in older adults and smokers.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Smoking (primary risk factor), exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution, occupational dust and chemicals, genetic factors (e.g., alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency).
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
COPD is progressive and irreversible; however, treatment can manage symptoms and slow progression. Prognosis varies based on severity and adherence to treatment.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Respiratory infections, heart problems (e.g., cor pulmonale), lung cancer, chronic respiratory failure, and increased risk of pneumonia.
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity
Sub-category: Respiratory Diseases
Symptoms:
shortness of breath; chronic dry cough; fatigue; unexplained weight loss; clubbing of fingers
Root Cause:
Scarring of the lung tissue due to inflammation, often resulting from an unknown cause (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), environmental exposures, or secondary to other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
High-resolution CT scans of the chest, pulmonary function tests, and sometimes a lung biopsy.
Treatment:
No cure, but treatments include antifibrotic medications (pirfenidone, nintedanib), oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and lung transplantation in severe cases.
Medications:
Antifibrotic agents (pirfenidone , nintedanib ), corticosteroids for inflammation management in some cases, oxygen therapy for advanced stages.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects 3-5 in 100,000 people globally; more common in older adults, especially those over 60.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Age, smoking, environmental exposures (e.g., asbestos, silica), genetics, underlying autoimmune diseases.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
The prognosis is often poor, with a median survival time of 3-5 years post-diagnosis, although some patients can live longer with treatment.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, lung infections, and heart problems due to strain on the heart from reduced lung function.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity
Sub-category: Respiratory Diseases
Symptoms:
loud snoring; excessive daytime sleepiness; waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat; morning headaches; difficulty concentrating
Root Cause:
Repeated episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, leading to reduced oxygen levels and disrupted sleep.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Polysomnography (sleep study) to monitor breathing patterns and oxygen levels during sleep, home sleep apnea tests.
Treatment:
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, lifestyle changes (weight loss, sleep position), oral appliances, surgery in severe cases.
Medications:
No specific medications for sleep apnea, but sedatives or nasal decongestants may be prescribed in some cases to help with symptoms.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects approximately 2-9% of adults, with higher prevalence in older adults and those with obesity.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Obesity, age, family history, male gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, nasal congestion.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Treatable with CPAP therapy, but untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious cardiovascular complications and poor quality of life.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Cardiovascular diseases (e.g., hypertension, heart attack), stroke, daytime fatigue, cognitive impairments, and metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes).
Diphtheria
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Category: Bacterial Infections
Sub-category: Respiratory Diseases
Symptoms:
sore throat; low-grade fever; difficulty breathing; thick, gray membrane over throat and tonsils; swollen neck (bull neck)
Root Cause:
Caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which releases a toxin that inhibits protein synthesis in cells.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Throat swab culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for toxin genes, and clinical presentation.
Treatment:
Administration of diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics. Isolation of the patient to prevent spread.
Medications:
Antibiotics like penicillin (beta-lactam) or erythromycin (macrolide) are typically prescribed to eradicate the bacteria.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare in developed countries due to widespread vaccination, but endemic in certain low-resource settings.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Lack of vaccination, close contact with infected individuals, and living in unsanitary conditions.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with early treatment; however, severe cases can lead to long-term complications or death.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Airway obstruction, myocarditis, nerve damage, and systemic toxin effects.