Some of the most common are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension. In addition to tobacco smoke, other risk factors include air pollution, chemicals and dust at work, and frequent lower respiratory tract infections during childhood. Chronic respiratory diseases are not curable, but various forms of treatment that help to dilate the main airways and improve shortness of breath can help control symptoms and increase the quality of life of sufferers. The vision of the WHO Global Alliance Against CKD (GARD) is a world in which all people breathe freely, GARD focuses in particular on the needs of people with CKD in low- and middle-income countries.
The aim of the WHO Chronic Respiratory Diseases Programme is to support Member States in their efforts to reduce the burden of morbidity, disability and premature mortality related to chronic respiratory diseases, and in particular asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It affects men, women, children, smokers, non-smokers and people who have never smoked. If lung disease takes your breath away, you don't have to face it alone. The Lung Association is here to help.
Below is a list of respiratory disorders with information on symptoms, causes, treatment and disease management. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow obstruction and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD makes breathing difficult for the 16 million Americans who suffer from the disease.
Millions more have COPD, but are undiagnosed and untreated. Although COPD cannot be cured, it can be treated. The term lung disease refers to many conditions that affect the lungs, including asthma, COPD, infections such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, lung cancer and many other respiratory problems. COPD is not a single disease, but an umbrella term used to describe chronic lung diseases that cause airflow limitations in the lungs.
Learn about the symptoms, causes and treatments of lung diseases, as well as tips for recognising and managing lung diseases.
