Learning about lung disease can be overwhelming, so Inogen has curated reliable resources to help get you started. Read on to learn more about where to find the lung disease information you need.
About Lung Disease
Lung diseases can be categorized as obstructive and restrictive, each of which causes difficulty breathing. Obstructive lung disease involves an obstruction in your airways, which impacts your ability to exhale properly. COPD and asthma are both obstructive lung diseases. Restrictive lung disease involves a reduced lung capacity, which results in your lungs being unable to fill completely during inhalation. This can be due to stiffness or scarring of the lung tissue, loss of functional lung tissue, an enlarged abdomen or neurological factors. Lung cancer, pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis are types of restrictive lung disease.[1]
How to Find the Right Lung Disease Information
Discovering that you or someone you love has lung disease can be frightening, so it is important to make sure that you have the correct lung disease information so you can prepare properly. According to the American Lung Association (lung.org) nearly 37 million Americans live with a chronic lung disease like asthma and COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. About 18 million American adults have been diagnosed with COPD, an obstructive lung disease that over time makes it harder to breathe.2 While those are large numbers, it also means that millions of people have learned how to use lung disease support services to live as normally as possible with their disease.
Finding the right lung disease information can help you learn how to adjust to living as normally as possible with your disease. Look for resources from reputable medical organizations with information written by experts. With the right lung disease resources, you can get the latest, most accurate information about your disease and learn some ways to stay as healthy as possible.
Trusted Lung Disease Resources
Inogen has compiled the following lung disease resources where you can find up-to-date lung disease information to help you. Explore the following links for helpful facts, resources and lung disease support services.
- American Lung Association (ALA): Offers comprehensive information about your lungs, different lung diseases, management, treatments and more.
- ATS patient resources – includes more than 100 fact sheets on topics in pulmonary/critical care/sleep ranging from pulmonary function testing in children, bronchoscopy, and arterial catheterization to sleep studies, smoking cessation, unproven stem cell therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation.
- Chest/ACCP – comprehensive libraries on lung health
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center: A breakdown of different types of lung disease, an explanatory video and information about what to expect if you need a lung transplant.
- COPD Foundation – The COPD Foundation is a patient-centered organization committed to preventing COPD, bronchiectasis, and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease, and to seeking cures while improving lives and advocating for all affected.
- MedlinePlus: Access to basic lung disease information as well as trusted lung disease resources, including clinical trials, journal articles, health check tools, patient handouts and more.
- NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS): An overview of how the NIEHS is researching the environmental impact of various lung irritants.
- National Jewish Health – help you manage your COPD and to live a full and active life.
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: A helpful overview of respiratory diseases, including national objectives, interventions, resources and national statistical snapshots.
- Office on Women’s Health: A review of various lung diseases and lung disease information specific to women.
- WebMD: An overview of different lung diseases based on the part of the lungs they affect.
Finding Lung Disease Support
After your lung disease diagnosis, you may want to find lung disease support services to help you learn more about living with your disease. You may also find it helpful to discuss your experience with people who have gone through the same thing. Talk to your doctor or call your local medical center to find lung disease support in your area, or explore one of these lung disease support resources below.
- American Association for Respiratory Care: Information about how AARC members provide support to patients. Better Breathers Club: ALA’s in-person support group for people with a variety of different lung diseases.
- Inspire.com: ALA’s free online support communities offer peer-to-peer support.
- Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation: Information about finding a local support group, joining an online or telephone-based support group or starting your own PF support group.
- U.S. News: An interesting article about why lung disease patients find support groups particularly helpful for living with their disease.
Inogen Offers Lung Disease Information
Inogen is proud that our products are able to support many people with a variety of different lung diseases. As such, we offer lung disease information and resources to help you navigate your experience living with your lung disease. Explore our lung disease information pages, as well as our Inogen Oxygen Education Blog for data, informative material and advice for maintaining your respiratory health. If your doctor prescribes supplemental oxygen as part of your lung disease support services, Inogen can help. Contact us to find out how our portable oxygen concentrators provide medical grade oxygen delivery all day, every day, at home or away.
References
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/obstructive-and-restrictive-lung-diseases-914741
- https://www.lung.org/about-us/our-impact
Additional Sources
- https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases
- https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/
- https://foundation.chestnet.org/lung-health-a-z/
- https://columbiasurgery.org/thoracic/conditions-treatments
- https://www.copdfoundation.org/
- https://medlineplus.gov/lungdiseases.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/copd.htm
- Respiratory Disease – Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
- https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/lung-disease
- https://www.webmd.com/lung/lung-diseases-overview
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/lung-disease/index.cfm
- https://www.nationaljewish.org/conditions/copd-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease
- https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/respiratory-diseases
- https://www.inspire.com/groups/american-lung-association-lung-disease/
- https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/life-with-pf/support-groups
- http://www.aarc.org/rts-lead-support-groups/
