Diagnosing and treating respiratory ailments:
Pulmonologists treat the respiratory system, including the lungs, according to the American College of Physicians. Because of the critical nature of the respiratory system, pulmonologists work in hospitals as well as in private practice. A pulmonologist must first be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and then obtain additional training in the subspecialty.
Common diagnostic tools for diagnosing respiratory disease include chest X-rays and a pulmonary function test , according to Merck Manuals. A PFT measures how well the lungs take in and release air and how well they circulate oxygen.
A doctor may also perform a bronchoscopy by inserting a tube with a light and camera into the airways the trachea and the bronchial tubes to examine for bleeding, tumors, inflammation or other abnormalities. A similar procedure is a thoracoscopy, in which a doctor uses an optical device to examine the surfaces of the lungs.
A new nasal swab test measures RNA or protein molecules in human cells and can identify a viral infection, according to a study published Dec. 21, 2017, in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. "It's a simpler test and more cost-effective for looking at viral infection," the author, Dr. Ellen Foxman, assistant professor of laboratory medicine at Yale School of Medicine, told YaleNews. During the test, RNAs predicted viral infection with 97 percent accuracy.
For most healthy individuals, the most common respiratory ailment they may face is an infection, according to Dr. Matthew Exline, a pulmonologist and critical care expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. A cough is the first symptom, possibly accompanied by a fever.
"However, cough can be a sign of chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema," he said. "In chronic lung disease, most respiratory diseases present with shortness of breath, initially with exertion, such as walking a significant distance or climbing several flights of stairs."
The most certain way to diagnose asthma is with a lung function test, a medical history and a physical exam, according to Winders. "However, it's hard to do lung function tests in children younger than 5 years. Thus, doctors must rely on children's medical histories, signs and symptoms, and physical exams to make a diagnosis."
For COPD, many patients benefit from respiratory rehabilitation, according to Dr. Brian Carlin, assistant professor of medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. "It is much like cardiac rehabilitation for heart patients, and can provide education, exercise and training to reduce the number of respiratory incidents.