Cancer of the Lung is a most important disease after the age of fifty. Much more common in men than in women, its occurrence rate is increasing faster than any other kind of cancer. The cause remains unknown but tremendous evidence points to tobacco’s guilt, although automobile exhaust fumes and other gases are also strongly suspected. Cancer in the lung often begins with an innocent cough which may be dry or productive of blood streaked sputum. The possible, noticeable difficulties are wheezing, pain in the chest, hoarseness and weight loss, all indicating the possible presence of a serious disease.

The diagnosis of lung cancer is made with an x-ray of the chest, and often aided by other kinds of examination to more accurately pinpoint this disease. Effective treatment of any lung cancer demands early detection, best done by the routine physical examination, including a chest x-ray each year by a competent physician.

Pneumonia. This is an infection and inflammation of the lung itself. The two types are the commonly seen virus pneumonia and the more serious bacterial pneumonia. Virus pneumonia, not necessarily associated with any bacteria, is a mild lung infection and just about everyone contracting it eventually recovers. The disease is often considered a deepseated cold, accompanied by dry, hacking cough, a moderate temperature and great fatigue. Many physicians treat virus pneumonia with rest, diet, aspirin compounds and occasionally antibiotics. Without a chest x-ray, this diagnosis is difficult to make, and is sometimes entirely overlooked. Happily however, nearly all patients eventually recover from virus pneumonia anyway.

In the more serious bacterial pneumonia infection, the lung tissue becomes solid with bacteria, pus, blood and swollen lung tissue. The symptoms produced are high fever, severe pleurisy pains in the chest and considerable coughing, productive eventually of a bloody or rust-colored sputum. Treatment of bacterial pneumonia requires x-ray diagnosis, considerable supportive treatment, such as adequate fluids, rest, and usually powerful antibiotics.

Pneumonia was once a deadly disease but now it succumbs readily to effective antibiotics in the hands of the physician. Though treatment is now effective, this disease should never be taken lightly, as it still brings about many deaths each year and readily causes significant and permanent body damage.

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