More Causes Of Lung Pain

 

Pain Caused By COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a disease of the lung in which breathing is made extremely difficult.  Smoking is the major cause of this disease; causing inflammation of the lung as well as the destruction of air sacs within the lung.  Secondhand smoke when severe and exposure to certain fumes or gases are also attributable.  Symptoms include coughing and lung pain as the individual attempts to breathe or cough.

Pain Caused By Heart Disease

Chest pain, when caused by heart disease, can be a crushing pain.  Accompanying the pain may be any combination of the following:  sweats, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness and pain in the arm, back, neck, jaw and shoulders.  No time can be wasted when these symptoms appear; immediate medical attention is required.  Treatment will depend upon the cause of the heart disease and its severity.

Pain Caused By Pleurisy

Two layers of membranes, separated from each other by a layer of fluid, surround each of the lungs.  The condition called pleurisy occurs when the membranes become inflamed, by certain vascular diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, certain types of cancers, heart disease, a blood clot in the vessel leading to the lung or chest trauma from surgery or an accident.  The pain experienced with pleurisy is sharp and stabbing.  Other symptoms may be difficulty in breathing, tenderness in the chest area and coughing.  Pleurisy may go away by itself with no treatment, or it may become necessary to extract the fluid from around the lungs in a medical procedure.

 

 

Misconceptions About Lung Pain

Too often, people feeling pain around the chest area automatically believe it to be an issue of the heart.  While it could very well be associated with the heart, there are many other disorders that share the symptom of pain in the chest.  It is not always a dire diagnosis, but it is necessary to advise your doctor immediately of any and all symptoms you are experiencing. 

Everyone experiences some type of chest discomfort or pain from time to time.  It is important to be continually vigilant to the signals that your body gives you and to know your body well so that should lung pain, chest pain or any other symptom arise, you will be aware of its possible significance and be alerted to seek medical attention.  Many times, the discomfort may simply be the body’s way of letting you know that you need to take better care of yourself, or to take it a little easier when performing an activity. 

Most importantly, it is vital to give your doctor clear information regarding your symptoms.  Let him know of any previous illness you may have had or been exposed to recently, what the circumstances were when you first felt the pain and what you may have been doing.  Describe the pain as clearly as possible to allow the doctor to rule out any possible causes.  With this information, your doctor will be able to arrive at an accurate diagnosis of your condition and begin treatment to get you back on the road to health.