• Who is Pulmonologist and What are the conditions treated by Pulmonologist?

A medical specialist who is specialized to treat all diseases and ailments related to lungs and respiratory system of a human known as Pulmonologist/ lung specialist/Respiratory physician or Chest physician

COPD, Asthma, Tuberculosis, ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease), All type of Respiratory Failure, Lung Cancer, Sleep Apnea syndrome (OSAHS), Snoring, Pleural Effusions, Pneumothorax, Pulmonary infections, Pneumonias, Sarcoidosis, Hemoptysis (coughing out blood), Lymph nodes (glands)tuberculosis/ Masses in the chest and chest trauma

• What is allergy? and how it presents ? 

An abnormal increased immune response of the body to a substance known as allergen, Allergen may be a particular food, pollen, fur, or dust, to which  body become hypersensitive. Allergy presents byitching, sneezing and blocked nose, etc. Individuals having respiratory allergy are more prone to develop asthma in the future.

• Is allergy a hereditary problem? Is it a curable disease?

Yes, allergy is a genetically driven problems to a certain extent which is influenced by environmental factors such as pollen, dust, infections, weather conditions etc.

Allergy is not a completely curable disease but with an appropriate treatment it can be controlled and person may live free of symptoms.

• Does avoiding allergy triggers alone help to avoid asthma?

Yes, if culprit allergen is known, avoidance of this allergen is helpful in controlling the symptoms of allergy and asthma.

• Can asthma be cured permanently?

No, we can’t cure the asthma but we can control it completely by proper medication.

• What are the trigger of asthma & allergy?

Asthma and Allergy can be triggered by exposure to certain allergens, infections/drugs  and certain medical conditions like heart failure etc. It can be life threatening for some people and may require intervention.

• How can I improve my asthma & allergy?

• You need to find your asthma/allergy triggers first then follow the plan of action to treat it according to your doctor.
• Avoid allegers, dust, mites.
• Get yourself vaccinated for pneumonia and  common influenza
• You need to take regular medication as prescribed by your pulmonologist
• In case you are using proper medication and despite that not feeling relieved, it is a must for you to visit the doctor

• What are the warning signs of asthma?

• Wheezing or whistling sounds during  respiration
• Chest tightness
• Cough with chocking
• Breathlessness initially on exertion but maybe during rest in severe condition.
• Difficulty in sleeping
• You are producing any discolored mucus

• What Is COPD? and what are the factors responsible for COPD?

The meaning of COPD is chronic obstructive pulmonary(airway) disease. It is characterized by chronic breathlessness and cough. Usually occurs after age of 40 year and smoking is the most common cause of COPD but it may occur due to other causes like biomass fuel smoke exposure and alfa 1 anti tripsin deficiency.

• How COPD is different from Asthma?
• Symptoms of both Asthma and COPD are quite similar but there is a basic difference in both conditions like:

• Asthma is a genetically driven condition and trigger by certain allergen exposure while COPD is mainly caused by smoking and biomass fuel smoke exposure.
• Asthma usually occurs in early age while COPD in late age usually after 40 year of age
• A person with Asthma usually remains asymptomatic between attacks while in COPD a base line dyspnea always presents.

• Is COPD a treatable condition?

COPD is a preventable and treatable disease. To treat the COPD:-

1. One should quit Smoking.
2. Should take medications advised by pulmonologist on regular basis like – Bronchodilators through inhalation route like puffs (inhalers), rotacaps or nebulizers and other medications
3. Avoid irritants exposure like chemical fumes, dust, heavy air pollution, second hand smoking
4. Vaccination – Flu (Influenza) shots and Pneumococcal (Pneumonia) vaccine.

• What is Sleep medicine & Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?

Sleep is one of the key factors that determine the health of an individual. How one wakes up in the morning is a fair indicator whether one is getting a proper sleep or not. Therefore, if you have been snoozing your alarm too often, you might be damaging your own health. Experts believe that under normal circumstances, one should be able to wake up refreshed. And if you are not then you might be suffering from a sleep disorder.
Sleep medicine is a stream of medicine related to sleep disorders and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a type of sleep disorder breathing.

• How to diagnose sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is one of the most common disorders that often go undiagnosed. But it is responsible for multiple chronic conditions. The most common symptoms of Sleep apnea are:

• Loud snoring
• Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
• Sleepiness or lack of energy during the day
• Sleepiness while driving
• Early morning headaches
• Non refreshing  sleep
• Difficulty in concentrate
• Forgetfulness and mood changes

In addition to this, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can have a negative impact on your health and can cause:

• Heart attack and Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Lead to Weight Gain
• Depression
• Aging of Skin

Sleep disorders can be diagnosed by sleep study, a multichannel diagnostic procedure known as polysomnography.

• What is Pleural fluid Aspiration/Thoracocentesis?

It is a minor day care or OPD procedure. A percutaneous needle is inserted into the pleural space and pleural fluid is removed either through the needle or a wide bore catheter. Diagnostic thoracocentesis is the removal of a small volume of pleural fluid, while Therapeutic thoracocentesis is the removal of a large volume of fluid to give symptomatic relief to the patient.

Our specialists recommend that patients who have a pleural effusion should undergo diagnostic thoracocentesis to determine the nature of effusion and identify potential causes. The procedure is performed under ultrasound (USG) guidance

• How will the tube thoracostomy/intercostals tube drainage (ICD) be helpful to me?

It is a procedure in which a tube is placed through the chest wall into the pleural cavity and connected to water seal bag to drain large amount of air, fluid or pus from the pleural space. Its indications are:

• Pneumothorax (Air in the lungs)
• Hemothorax (Blood in the lungs)
• Pleural effusion (Fluid/ water in the lungs)
• Empayema (Pus in the lung)
• Pleurodesis

• What is Pulmonary (Lung) Function Tests (PFT) or Spirometry

These are noninvasive tests that measure lung volume, lung capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. This information can help your pulmonologist to diagnose and decide the treatment of certain lung disorders. PFT measures how much air you can breathe in and out and how fast you can do it.

Spirometry is a part of pulmonary function test. It is a painless test and a technician will ask you to take a deep breath and then blow as hard as you can into a tube connected to PFT machine.

PFT is the most important test for the diagnosis and management of COPD and Asthma. PFT is similar to ECG of the lungs..

• What is intervention pulmonology?

Intervention pulmonology is a branch of modern pulmonology in which multiple lung diseases are diagnosed and managed more efficiently by higher end minimal invasive procedures by modern equipments like Bronchoscopy, Thoracoscopy, E-BUS, Bronchial biopsy, Pleurodesis etc.

Intervention pulmonology is a boon to diagnose and manage multiple lung condition like ILDs, lung cancers, foreign body removal from lung, repeated and large pleural effusions, recurrent pneumothorax etc.