What is OSA – Sleep Apnea – and How Do I Treat It?
OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea, is the intermittent blockage of airflow during sleep. It is caused by the relaxation of muscles which support the throat’s soft tissue (i.e. the tongue or soft palate), causing the upper airway to close or narrow and thus momentarily cutting off breathing. OSA is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, with more than 3 million cases in the U.S. each year. It can be present in
I Have A “Spot On My Lungs.” What Does That Mean?
A spot on the lungs – or a “pulmonary nodule” – is a small mass of tissue that appears on an X-ray or CT scan of the lungs. Pulmonary nodules are never a cause for panic, as they are usually benign or non-cancerous. Typically, if you have a pulmonary nodule, you will undergo further medical evaluation to confirm what the mass represents. Pulmonary nodules are found on up to half of
I Need a Bronchoscopy with EBUS – What’s That?
An EBUS (or EndoBronchial UltraSound) bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive but highly effective outpatient procedure designed to help diagnose lung disorders, such as inflammation, infections, or cancer. Pulmonologists perform the procedure by using a bronchoscope, a flexible tube which goes through the patient’s mouth and into their windpipes and lungs. Attached to the tube is the EBUS scope video camera with ultrasound probes. This captures local images of lungs and lymph
Common Respiratory Issues in Older Adults FAQ
1A. Is asthma treated in older adults the same way it’s treated in children and young adults? Asthma can occur at any age. Older adults experience asthma, but are more likely to be underdiagnosed and undertreated. The CDC estimates that over 2 million persons 65 years old or greater have asthma, which is expected to rise to greater than 5 million by 2030. Asthma in the elderly is complicated by the fact
Hamilton County Mask Mandate
On Monday, July 6th, in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger approved a mask mandate. Facial coverings shall fit snugly and securely against the side of the face. Cloth masks are preferred and should ideally include multiple layers of fabric. Surgical and other medical masks such as N95 are not required. According to the executive order, these should be preserved for health care personnel.
COPD Treatment: Are Inhaled Corticosteroids Effective?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD for short) is an umbrella term that includes and describes progressive lung diseases. Lung diseases that fall under the COPD umbrella include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and non-reversible asthma. What causes COPD varies; it is commonly caused by long-term smoking, but non-smokers can also develop COPD if over-exposed to lung-damaging irritants. In rare cases, COPD is caused by a condition called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). COPD cannot be
Surviving Lung Cancer
Surviving Lung Cancer: How Early Diagnosis and Treatment Improves Survival Odds Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both males and females with 228,150 new lung cancer cases diagnosed annually. According to The Chest Foundation, lung cancer makes up about 14% of all new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. on an annual basis. Lung cancer is broken down into two types: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), and Small-Cell