How to protect our lungs?

A healthy lifestyle can help prevent lung injury and disease.

• Quit smoking, or not to start if you do not smoke.
• Avoid second-hand tobacco smoke. Stay away from places where smoking is allowed. Ask friends and family members who smoke to quit smoking and not to smoke in the house or car.
• Aim for a healthy weight. Unhealthy eating patterns and lack of physical activity can lead to overweight and obesity, which can result in sleep apnea.
• By being physically active, you can help strengthen your heart and lungs, so they can work more efficiently. Before starting any exercise program, ask your family doctor what level of physical activity is right for you.
• Limit exposure to outdoor air pollution. Avoid heavy traffic when possible and wear a mask on polluted days.
• Reduce indoor air pollution and chemicals. Make sure the places where you live and work are well ventilated and cleaned regularly to prevent the accumulation of allergens, dust, and mould. You can also remove products that create fumes, such as strong cleaning products and aerosols.
• Take precautions against seasonal influenza and pneumonia. Get a flu shot every year and ask your family doctor about the pneumonia vaccine.
• Have a check-up. Regular health checks can detect problems in the early stages when it is easier to treat them.

Who should be tested?

1. People with symptoms such as breathing difficulties, a bad or persistent cough, blood-stained sputum, chest pain or injury and fever
2. People who are chronic smokers
3. People with asthma
4. People with a lung problem, for example, an asthmatic attack, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pneumonia, may have a blood oxygen level lower than normal.

    

What are the common non-invasive lung tests?

1. Chest x-ray: A chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm. This can be used to look for problems like pneumonia, cancer, collapsed lung, scarring of lung tissue, tuberculosis, and problems of the heart. There is low radiation exposure. Most experts think that the benefits outweigh the risks. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of x-rays.

2. Peak flow measurement: Peak flow is a simple measurement of how quickly you can blow air out of your lungs. It is often used to help diagnose and monitor asthma. You take a deep breath and then breathe out as fast and hard as you can into a small handheld device. By measuring how fast you can breathe out, your peak flow score can indicate whether your airways are narrowed. This test can give you advance warning of an asthma attack.

3. Pulse oximetry: This test uses a device that measures how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying. The device is usually clipped onto your fingertip. The results are shown as a percentage and this number gives your doctors and nurses an idea of what your treatment will be. People with an asthmatic attack, exacerbation of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pneumonia usually have a decrease in this number.
4. Low Dose computed tomography(CT):  A low dose CT scan uses high-resolution, low-dose CT to assess the condition of your lung through 3D images.  Compared with X ray, CT is much more effective in detecting lung cancer than conventional X-ray.  According to the US-basedNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), low-dose CT is the only screening test that reduces lung cancer mortality in high-risk groups.

Respiratory diseases can affect any part of the respiratory system, from the upper respiratory tract to the bronchi and down into the alveoli. Common respiratory diseases include common cold, laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, pneumothorax, obstructive sleep apnoea, lung cancer, and so on.