What it means
A broad term that covers diseases of the airways, such as asthma and COPDsee-oh-pee-dee (said as letters)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.chronic long-lastingobstructive blockingpulmon/o lung-ary relating toFull entry ; of the lung tissue, such as pneumonianoo-MOHN-yuhAn infection of one or both lungs in which the air sacs fill with fluid or pus.pneum/o lung, air-ia conditionFull entry and pulmonary fibrosis; and of the lung's blood vessels, such as pulmonary embolismPUL-muh-nair-ee EM-buh-liz-umA blockage of an artery in the lungs, usually by a blood clot that has traveled there from elsewhere in the body.pulmon/o lung-ary relating toembol/o plug-ism conditionFull entry . Pulmonary function tests and chest imaging help tell them apart.
At a glance
| Spanish | enfermedad pulmonar |
|---|---|
| Also written | pulmonary diseases |
Related terms
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.
pulmonary
Relating to the lungs.
pneumonia
An infection of one or both lungs in which the air sacs fill with fluid or pus.
emphysema
A long-term lung disease in which the walls of the tiny air sacs are damaged and lose their stretch.
pulmonary function tests
Breathing tests that measure how much air the lungs hold and how fast air moves in and out.