What is lung disease?

Types of lung disease

There are three main types of lung disease: 

• Airway diseases: These affect the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. An example is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They usually cause the airways to become narrow or blocked.
• Lung tissue diseases: These affect the structure of your lung tissue. An example is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Scarring, inflammation or swelling makes it harder for your lungs to expand fully, which is known as a restrictive lung disease. 
• Lung circulation diseases: These affect the blood vessels in your lungs. They are caused by clots, scars or inflammation of the blood vessels. This makes your heart pump harder against the increased pressure to keep blood flowing through your lungs. An example is pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Who is at risk?

Anyone can get lung disease. However, your risk can be higher if:

• You’re older
• You smoke or have ever smoked
• You work or have worked in a job where you are exposed to dust, gas, fumes, or chemicals
• You have a family history of lung disease.

Check how healthy your lungs are by using our interactive Lung Health Checklist.

Warning signs and symptoms

The symptoms of lung disease often start slowly, and you might think that it’s due to your age or becoming less fit. This can lead you to adjust your daily activities automatically to avoid symptoms like breathlessness instead of talking about it with your doctor. Knowing the warning signs helps you get treatment early and stop things from getting worse. 

See your doctor if you have a cough that won’t stop or changes, you have trouble breathing, chest pain, lots of chest infections, always feel exhausted or lose weight without trying. Learn more about the symptoms of lung disease and what to look out for.