Lung Conditions

Abnormal CT/Chest X-Ray

CT scans and chest X-rays can show various lung conditions. These include:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Pulmonary masses or nodules
• Sarcoidosis

At Emory Healthcare, we work collaboratively to provide an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

Acute and Chronic Respiratory Failure

Acute (sudden) and chronic (long-term) respiratory failure occurs when your blood doesn’t have enough oxygen or has too much carbon dioxide. It can be life-threatening. Symptoms include fast breathing, wheezing and fatigue.

Allergy

Allergies are overreactions of your body's immune system to normally harmless substances. You can have allergies to specific foods, pollen, dust mites, pet dander or medication.

Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

This genetic condition can cause emphysema or liver disease. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and asthma.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease in which inflammation causes the walls of your airways to get tight and narrow. This makes it hard to breathe. It can also cause wheezing, coughing and chest tightness.

Autoimmune Lung Disease

Also called interstitial lung disease (ILD), this occurs when your immune system attacks your lungs. ILD can cause inflammation and make it hard to breathe.

BHD Syndrome (Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome)

This rare genetic condition can cause noncancerous skin tumors, cysts and an accumulation of air in your lungs. BHD syndrome can lead to a collapsed lung.

Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis damages the airways in your lungs. This causes mucus to build up in the airways, which can lead to lung infections.

Chronic Cough

A chronic cough lasts eight weeks or longer in adults or four weeks or more in children. The most common causes are asthma and tobacco use.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Chronic Bronchitis 

These conditions cause inflammation in your airways. This makes it hard to breathe and can cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and fatigue. They also can lead to frequent lung infections.

Histiocytosis-Related Lung Disease

Also called pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH), this is a rare lung disease. It causes cysts to form in your lungs, which leads to reduced lung function over time.

HPS (Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome)

HPS is a rare, inherited condition caused by gene mutations. It can affect many body systems and can cause pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs).

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD or IPF)

Interstitial lung disease is the group name for more than 200 different lung conditions. Many of these problems cause permanent scarring (fibrosis) or inflammation of your lung tissue. 

LAM (Lymphangioleiomyomatosis)

LAM is a rare disease that almost exclusively affects women. It causes cysts to form in your lungs, which damages the tissue. LAM leads to shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and fatigue.

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lungs grow and multiply uncontrollably to form tumors. These tumors can prevent your lungs from working properly. For more information, see the Winship Cancer Center.

Lung Nodule

Lung nodules are small masses of tissue in the lungs. Most are noncancerous. Infections, inflammation, autoimmune diseases and scar tissue can cause lung nodules.

Lung Transplantation

A lung transplant replaces one or both of your lungs with healthy lungs from a donor. Some conditions that may require a lung transplant include advanced COPD, cystic fibrosis, alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency and pulmonary fibrosis. Learn more about lung transplant at Emory Healthcare.

Mycobacterium Lung Infection

This group of rare lung infections is a serious condition caused by bacteria in soil and water. It can cause chronic cough, fever, chest pain, fatigue and night sweats.

Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease (NTM)

Bacteria in soil, water and dust cause NTM. It can infect your lungs and trigger a cough, shortness of breath, fever, chest pain and fatigue.

Pleural Effusion

Pleural effusion is a buildup of fluid between your lungs and chest. Various diseases or conditions can cause pleural effusion. If untreated, it can lead to a collapsed lung.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in one of the blood vessels in your lung. It creates a blockage and causes problems with the flow of blood and oxygen in your lungs. This is a medical emergency and can be life-threatening.

Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disease that causes scarring and thickening of your lung tissue. This condition makes it hard to breathe and may lead to other serious health problems.

Pulmonary Hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can affect any blood vessels in your body. When it affects the arteries in your lungs, it’s known as pulmonary hypertension. Learn more about pulmonary hypertension.

Sarcoidosis

With sarcoidosis, your immune system causes swelling in your lungs and other body parts. This may lead to coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue.

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause scarring in the lungs, interstitial lung disease or pulmonary hypertension. This can lead to shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness and fatigue.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea can cause inflammation in the lungs and may worsen existing lung conditions. This includes asthma, COPD and pulmonary hypertension. Sleep disorders can also increase the risk of lung conditions such as interstitial lung disease. Learn more about sleep health.

Vasculitis

This condition causes inflammation in the blood vessels in the lungs. Pulmonary vasculitis can lead to shortness of breath, coughing blood, chest pain and noisy breathing.

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)

A VTE is when a blood clot forms in a vein and travels to another part of the body. One type of VTE is a deep vein thrombosis, which forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg. Another type is a pulmonary embolism, a piece of a blood clot that breaks off and travels to the lungs.