What Is Lung Disease?
4. Diagnosis
When evaluating a patient for lung disease, your doctor will go over your medical history as well as your family history. Does your mother have emphysema? Is there a strong history of asthma in your family? If there is a suspicion of a condition with a genetic link, like cystic fibrosis, your doctor will likely ask you to consider genetic testing. A thorough examination, bloodwork, and scans will likely reveal the cause of your condition.
There are some conditions that look like lung disease but actually originate in other parts of the body. Anemia, for example, is a condition in which your body does not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to its tissues. Panic attacks are a psychological condition that can make patients feel dizzy or even pass out. Both of these conditions affect your breathing in a very real way. They can be treated, but the problem is not in your lungs themselves.
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