Dr. Narang’s Hospital Jaipur

If you are suffering from a cough, you can consult a general physician. However, if your cough persists for more than three weeks or you experience additional symptoms such as blood in the mucus, it is an indication that you must consult a pulmonologist. The pulmonologist will then diagnose and treat the underlying condition.

Other issues that require consultation with a pulmonologist include:

• Continuous chest pain

• Feeling lethargic throughout the day

• Wheezing sound while breathing

• Shortness of breath during running, exercising, or even climbing stairs

• Dizziness

• Unmanageable asthma or uncertainty about your trigger factors

• Recurrent bronchitis

During your first visit to a pulmonologist, it is important to be mentally prepared with all the questions you would like to ask. You should also ensure that you have the following documents and reports ready with you:

• Previous medical records and reports

• Blood investigation reports

• X-rays and other imaging tests

• Pulmonary function test reports

• Allergy reports, if any allergic examinations have been done

A pulmonologist is a medical specialist with expertise in diagnosing and treating diseases and conditions related to the respiratory system or lungs.

Pulmonologists manage numerous respiratory problems. Some of the most common conditions include:

Asthma, bronchitis, COPD, tuberculosis, interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, respiratory failure, sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, pleural effusion, pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary infections, sarcoidosis, bronchiectasis, chest trauma, etc.

For the doctor to monitor your disease, it is important that you pay regular visits, as monitoring is a year-long process. This allows the doctor to confirm whether the treatment being given is effective or not. During this process, you may be required to undergo various tests such as pulmonary function tests, CT scans, and X-rays. A pulmonary function test measures how efficiently the lungs are working, while X-rays help determine the location and extent of the disease. The doctor may also suggest a six-minute walk test to further assess your condition.

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are performed to determine how well the lungs are functioning. In this test, the patient is asked to blow air into a tube-like device, and the readings are displayed on a monitor. A proper interpretation of the graph helps assess lung volume, capacity, flow rate, and the extent of gas exchange.

PFTs are also used for the following purposes:

• To evaluate the response to treatment

• To screen for obstructive and restrictive lung diseases

• To assess patients before surgery

Although asthma and bronchitis share many symptoms, there are some basic differences between the two:

• Asthma is a disease with a genetic predisposition that gets triggered upon exposure to certain allergens. COPD, on the other hand, is an acquired disease that develops over a lifetime due to exposure to environmental factors such as smoking, biomass fuel smoke, etc.

• Asthma usually has an early onset, often seen in younger individuals, whereas COPD is mostly observed in older individuals (40 years and above).

• Individuals with asthma are usually asymptomatic between acute attacks, whereas patients with COPD experience persistent dyspnea throughout the course of the disease.

Interventional pulmonology is an advanced technique for diagnosing and treating lung conditions using highly equipped and minimally invasive procedures. It utilizes modern equipment such as bronchoscopy, thoracoscopy, Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC), tube thoracostomy, thoracocentesis, lung biopsy, and pleurodesis, which are more efficient and reliable than conventional methods.

This approach is beneficial in diagnosing and treating various lung conditions such as interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, pleural effusion, recurrent pneumothorax, and in the removal of foreign substances (pus or fluid) from the lungs.

A pulmonologist treats numerous respiratory diseases, which may include:

Asthma, bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, pneumothorax, respiratory failure, sleep apnea syndrome, pleural effusion, tuberculosis, interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, pulmonary infections, sarcoidosis, chest trauma, etc.

Some standard questions you should ask your pulmonologist include:

• What disease have I been diagnosed with?

• What factors are triggering my condition?

• What precautions should I take to prevent the disease from worsening?

• How will you monitor the progression of the disease (i.e., check whether my lung health is improving)?

• What medications do you recommend?

• What tests will be performed?

• What steps can I take on my own to help control the disease?