Pulmonology, pneumology or pneumonology is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract. It is also known as respirology, respiratory medicine, or chest medicine in some countries and areas.
Isoniazid, also known as isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), is an antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis. For active tuberculosis, it is often used together with rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and either streptomycin or ethambutol. For latent tuberculosis, it is often used alone. It may also be used for atypical types of mycobacteria, such as M. avium, M. kansasii, and M. xenopi. It is usually taken by mouth, but may be used by injection into muscle.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), also known as environmental mycobacteria, atypical mycobacteria and mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT), are mycobacteria which do not cause tuberculosis or leprosy/Hansen's disease. NTM are able to cause pulmonary diseases that resemble tuberculosis. Mycobacteriosis is any of these illnesses, usually meant to exclude tuberculosis. They occur in many animals, including humans and are commonly found in soil and water.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium and space around the alveoli of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, and perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. It may occur when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response. Ordinarily, the body generates just the right amount of tissue to repair damage, but in interstitial lung disease, the repair process is disrupted, and the tissue around the air sacs (alveoli) becomes scarred and thickened. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. The disease presents itself with the following symptoms: shortness of breath, nonproductive coughing, fatigue, and weight loss, which tend to develop slowly, over several months. The average rate of survival for someone with this disease is between three and five years. The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases.
Critical Care Medicine is a peer-reviewed monthly medical journal in the field of intensive care medicine. The journal was established in 1973 with William C. Shoemaker as the founding editor. It is the official publication of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The journal's editor-in-chief is Timothy G. Buchman.
Chest is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering chest diseases and related issues, including pulmonology, cardiology, thoracic surgery, transplantation, breathing, airway diseases, and emergency medicine. The journal was established in 1935. It is the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians which publishes the journal. The editor-in-chief is Peter Mazzone.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis, is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is a type of chronic scarring lung disease characterized by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function. The tissue in the lungs becomes thick and stiff, which affects the tissue that surrounds the air sacs in the lungs. Symptoms typically include gradual onset of shortness of breath and a dry cough. Other changes may include feeling tired, and abnormally large and dome shaped finger and toenails. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a nonprofit organization focused on improving care for pulmonary diseases, critical illnesses and sleep-related breathing disorders. It was established in 1905 as the
Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a form of lung disease characterized by progressive scarring of both lungs. The scarring (fibrosis) involves the pulmonary interstitium. UIP is thus classified as a form of interstitial lung disease.
Restrictive lung diseases are a category of extrapulmonary, pleural, or parenchymal respiratory diseases that restrict lung expansion, resulting in a decreased lung volume, an increased work of breathing, and inadequate ventilation and/or oxygenation. Pulmonary function test demonstrates a decrease in the forced vital capacity.
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), or noninfectious pneumonia are a class of diffuse lung diseases. These diseases typically affect the pulmonary interstitium, although some also have a component affecting the airways. There are seven recognized distinct subtypes of IIP.
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is a complete evaluation of the respiratory system including patient history, physical examinations, and tests of pulmonary function. The primary purpose of pulmonary function testing is to identify the severity of pulmonary impairment. Pulmonary function testing has diagnostic and therapeutic roles and helps clinicians answer some general questions about patients with lung disease. PFTs are normally performed by a pulmonary function technician, respiratory therapist, respiratory physiologist, physiotherapist, pulmonologist, or general practitioner.
Pulmonary rehabilitation, also known as respiratory rehabilitation, is an important part of the management and health maintenance of people with chronic respiratory disease who remain symptomatic or continue to have decreased function despite standard medical treatment. It is a broad therapeutic concept. It is defined by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society as an evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who are symptomatic and often have decreased daily life activities. In general, pulmonary rehabilitation refers to a series of services that are administered to patients of respiratory disease and their families, typically to attempt to improve the quality of life for the patient. Pulmonary rehabilitation may be carried out in a variety of settings, depending on the patient's needs, and may or may not include pharmacologic intervention.
Ravi Kalhan is the director of the Asthma and COPD Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal publishing review articles and original papers on all aspects of anti-infective therapy. The journal was established in 2003 and is published by Informa.
Intensive Care Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering intensive care or critical care and emergency medicine. It was established in 1975 as the European Journal of Intensive Care Medicine and obtained its current name in 1977. It is the official journal of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. The editor-in-chief is Giuseppe Citerio. It is published by Springer Science+Business Media.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering emergency medicine. It is the official journal of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. The editor-in-chief is Stephen Hayden. The founding editor was Peter Rosen and it is published by Elsevier. It was established in 1983 and originally published by Pergamon Press. The journal is often referred to by its acronym, JEM.
Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction(BLVR) is a procedure to reduce the volume of air within the lungs. BLVR was initially developed in the early 2000s as a minimally invasive treatment for severe COPD that is primarily caused by emphysema. BLVR evolved from earlier surgical approaches first developed in the 1950s to reduce lung volume by removing damaged portions of the lungs via pneumonectomy or wedge resection. Procedures include the use of valves, coils, or thermal vapour ablation.
Magdy Kherallah Younes is a Canadian physician and researcher specializing in respirology and sleep medicine. His major areas of focus include reflex control of breathing during exercise, sleep and mechanical ventilation; pathogenesis of respiratory failure; patient-ventilator interactions; hemodynamics of pulmonary circulation; pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea; and determination of novel biomarkers in the electroencephalogram (EEG). He is the inventor of several novel approaches to diagnosis and treatment, including Proportional Assist Ventilation (PAV), methods for non-invasive determination of passive respiratory mechanics during assisted ventilation, and Odds Ratio Product of sleep (ORP). These approaches have led to the development of several medical devices, including the Winnipeg Ventilator.
Jadwiga “Wisia” A. Wedzicha is a British physician and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute. Her research has considered the causes and impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was elected as Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences in 2013 and awarded the Helmholtz International Fellow Award.
