Asthma is a long-term lung condition. It affects the airways (breathing tubes) that carry air in and out of your lungs. causing them to become swollen (inflamed). This makes the airways narrower so less air gets into and out of the lungs.

Asthma is a common condition. In the UK, 7.2 million people have asthma. This is about 8 in every 100 people.

People with asthma can get symptoms like wheezing, breathlessness, a cough or a tight chest. Sometimes symptoms can get worse quickly. This is an asthma attack.

Symptoms can be triggered by things like exercise, allergens or changes in weather. There are lots of potential triggers and everyone with asthma will have their own set of triggers. 

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/asthma

Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the airways in your lungs become damaged and widened. Because your airways are widened, phlegm (sputum) can build up in them. This can increase your risk of getting infections, as the built-up phlegm makes it easier for bacteria to get trapped in your airways.

Bronchiectasis is sometimes called non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis. This is because bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis share some symptoms. However, the treatment and outlook are different for each condition.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/bronchiectasis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung condition that happens when your lungs become inflamed and damaged and your airways narrow. COPD makes it harder for air to move in and out of your lungs (your airflow is obstructed), so you become breathless.  

COPD is the broad term for a group of lung conditions that include long-term (chronic) bronchitis and emphysema. People with COPD often have a mixture of the two conditions.

COPD is a common condition. Around 1.7 million people in the UK have COPD.  A lot of people do not realise they have COPD, with around 600,000 people living undiagnosed across the UK. 

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/copd-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. The medical name for hay fever is seasonal allergic rhinitis. You can develop hay fever at any age.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/hay-fever-seasonal-allergic-rhinitis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lung condition that scars your lungs and makes it difficult for you to breathe. It’s the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis.

IPF is a progressive condition. This means it gets gradually worse over time. The scar tissue in the lungs cannot be repaired by the body or any drugs, and there is currently no treatment that stops or reverses the scarring.

Current treatment focuses on slowing the rate of scarring in the lungs and controlling symptoms. Some people respond well to treatment and find their symptoms remain the same for many years. For others, the symptoms get worse more quickly.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-ipf

Long COVID is used to describe symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) that last for over four weeks and cannot be explained by another condition. You can get long COVID even if you had mild coronavirus symptoms.  

Long COVID is a new condition. Research into long COVID is still happening, so our understanding of it might change in the future.  

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/long-covid

Your body is made up of many different types of cells. Cancer, including lung cancer, is caused by cells growing out of control. These cancer cells start to get bigger and grow to form a lump. This lump is called a tumour.

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. There are around 48,500 new lung cancer cases in the UK every year.

More than 4 in 10 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in people over the age of 75.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/lung-cancer

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a condition affecting your breathing when you sleep. It happens when the wall of your throat narrows or closes.

OSA is the most common type of sleep apnoea, affecting about 1 in 20 people.

Both adults and children can have OSA, but you're more likely to have OSA when you're an older adult.

OSA is an ongoing condition, but there are treatments to manage the symptoms, and lifestyle changes can make a big difference, too.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-osa

A pulmonary embolism happens when a blood vessel in your lungs becomes blocked, usually with a blood clot. It can be very serious because the blockage can stop blood going to parts of your lungs. Fast medical treatment can save your life. 

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/pulmonary-embolism

Pulmonary fibrosis is the buildup of scar tissue in your lungs. It makes breathing increasingly difficult.

Some types of pulmonary fibrosis have an identifiable cause. But for many types, a definite cause cannot be found.

Although we do not always know what causes pulmonary fibrosis, we do know it is not a form of cancer or cystic fibrosis, and it’s not contagious.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/pulmonary-fibrosis

Sarcoidosis, also called sarcoid, is a condition where inflamed cells join together to make tiny lumps called granulomas. This can happen in any part of your body.

They are most often found in the lungs and the lymph nodes (glands). They can also affect your skin, eyes, joints, brain and heart, and other parts of the body.

When a lot of granulomas develop in one area, they cause swelling, which can affect how well that part of your body works. This causes different symptoms, depending on which part of the body is affected. If the granulomas continue to develop, the inflammation can cause lasting damage and scarring.

Sarcoidosis affects people in a lot of different ways. It can cause symptoms in just one part of your body or many parts at the same time. Sarcoidosis is not always a lung condition, but the lungs are affected in about 9 in 10 cases. This is called pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis is an interstitial lung disease (ILD). This means it affects your interstitium, the network of tissue that supports the air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs.

Learn More: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/sarcoidosis

Inhaler technique can be hard to get right even for a co-operative, well coordinated adult who is motivated and understands why they need to take an inhaler. They can be very challenging to give an unco-operative, sick or distressed child who might not understand what the inhaler is for. However, it is not impossible. It will take practice, patience and you should keep doing this until you are good at this important skill. Please see the video below for some further guidance.

Learn More: https://www.mylungsmylife.org/topics/group-3/a-practical-guide-to-inhalers/inhalers/