Lung Doctor: When to seek help In Greenville, TX
Individuals who are dealing with bronchitis, asthma-related problems, pneumonia, and tuberculosis all require help from lung doctors or pulmonologists to manage their condition well. Essentially, these are lung specialists, like Dr. Mohan Philip of Greenville Pulmonary Associates in Greenville, TX, who treat all kinds of problems related to the lungs, chest, and airways. They can likewise diagnose and manage sleep disorders.
In most cases, these lung doctors work with primary care physicians and depending on a patient’s certain circumstances, may also work with oncologists, cardiologists, and other specialists. But how do you know if you need to see a lung doctor? Below are common issues that warrant a visit to a pulmonologist.
A Bad Cough
This could be chronic or acute. In most instances, acute cough is caused by respiratory infections, while chronic cough, on the other hand, persists for three weeks or more and could actually be caused by a serious underlying health condition.
Any Lung Abnormalities That Make Exhalation Very Difficult
In general, excessive inflammatory processes will result in abnormalities like these over time, resulting in permanent airflow obstruction, which is common in people with emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and COPD. Warning signs typically include dizziness, chest pain, fatigue, fainting, leg swelling, and shortness of breath and lightheadedness, especially during physical activity.
Breathing Difficulties
This could indicate a severe lung problem so a thorough evaluation from a pulmonologist is required to ensure that you don’t have a more severe health condition that affects the lungs.
Asthma
Although asthma may be more common in kids, some people can actually develop it later on in life. This lung condition occurs when the lungs’ bronchial tubes react to stimuli and cause inflammation. Common symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
Lung Cancer
Essentially, tumors develop when cells divide too fast or too much. They’re benign or non-cancerous when they’re confined to one spot and don’t invade adjacent organs or tissues. On the other hand, they’re malignant or cancerous when they spread to neighboring organs or tissues. When you have lung cancer, you will need to work closely with a pulmonologist so that any underlying lung issues, aside from lung cancer, could be identified and treated as well. This will accurately gauge your lung function before cancer treatments or manage any symptoms that may result from lung cancer treatments.