Condition Archives - Timothy Chappell, MD

Chest Pain | Pulmonary Conditions | Angina

For a healthy person who does not smoke, who exercises regularly and who lives a moderately healthy lifestyle, chest pain, if and when it occurs, can be perplexing. Causes of chest pain can vary from person to person and can be the result of minor problems such as indigestion or heartburn to more serious conditions such as a heart attack or a pulmonary problem such as an embolism. If an individual has unexplained chest pain that lasts for more than a few minutes and is accompanied by shortness of breath, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately.

Abnormal Chest X-Ray | Lung Problems

X-rays and CT scans—also called CAT scanning—are non-invasive medical exams that help doctors to diagnose certain medical conditions. Doctors will usually start with an x-ray to view the inside of the chest, including the lungs and internal organs. If the x-ray comes back abnormal or inconclusive, a CT scan will generally be ordered as the next step to try and diagnose the condition or abnormality. CT scans use special x-ray equipment to produce multiple images of the inside of the body. From this, the internal organs, bones, tissue and vessels can be viewed with better clarity leading to an accurate diagnosis.

Severe Lung Infections | Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (also called TB) is an infectious lung disease caused by bacteria. It most commonly affects the lungs, but it can involve any organ located in the human body. In earlier years, patients diagnosed with tuberculosis would die a slow death; today, though rarely diagnosed, the disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Lung Scarring | Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

A solitary pulmonary nodule is a lesion that represents itself as a round or oval spot on the lungs. The spot can only be seen with an x-ray or CT scan. If a spot like this is found on the lungs, a biopsy will most likely be ordered so that cancer or a malignancy can be ruled out. In half of the cases, these nodules will be benign.

Sleep Apnea | Common Sleep Disorders

Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans daily. In individuals who suffer from this sleep disorder, breathing repeatedly stops and starts; most often, they will snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night of sleep. There are several forms of sleep apnea—the most common is obstructive sleep apnea in which the muscles in the throat relax.

Sarcoidosis of the Lungs | Immune-Related Lung Diseases

Sarcoidosis is a disease that affects the lungs, eyes, lymph nodes and skin. The disease produces and grows tiny groupings of inflammatory cells within these various areas of the body. Most experts believe that sarcoidosis is an immune-related condition. Most often, treatment will not be necessary because if the case is mild, it will go away on its own. If symptoms do arise, there are medications that can help.

Respiratory Failure | Blood in the Lungs | Difficulty Breathing

Respiratory failure occurs when the lungs fail to work; this condition is most often always a medical emergency. Typically, when a person goes into respiratory failure, it means that they have very low oxygen levels or very high carbon dioxide levels in the lungs. A blood test will need to be administered to detect which of these are occurring.

Pleural Diseases | Pleural Effusion | Mesothelioma

Pleural diseases represent a variety of lung related disorders that affect the overall health and function of the lungs. Pleural diseases do not directly affect the lungs, rather, they damage the pleura, which is the lining of the lungs. When the pleura are damaged, they impair how the lung functions.

Stiffening of the Arteries | Pulmonary Hypertension | Lung Disease

There are two main sets of blood vessels that reside in the human body that are responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the body. One set pumps blood to the lungs from the right side of the heart, the other set pumps blood from the left side of the heart into the rest of the body. Pulmonary hypertension will occur when the right side of the heart has to work harder in order to pump this necessary blood into the lungs. This stress that is placed on the heart can lead to an enlarged heart leading to fluid build-up in other tissues, organs and in other parts of the body such as the legs.

Pneumonia | Pulmonary Infection | Lung Infection

A pulmonary infection is a general term given to a number of lung-related infections that occur when parasites, viruses or bacteria enter the lungs impairing the regular defense mechanisms of the organs. Pneumonia, bronchitis and influenza are examples of pulmonary infections and account for a number of illness and deaths across the world.