The American Lung association sheds light on maintaining healthy lungs and preventing lung disease.
By Jenna Hughes
Healthy lungs are crucial to maintaining an individual’s overall well-being. Each cell in a person’s body needs oxygen to live. An individual’s lungs and respiratory system automatically performs the process of gas exchange, according to the American Lung Association, by moving fresh air and oxygen into the body and removing waste gases such as carbon dioxide. As a person ages, lung capacity declines, and the risk of lung disease increases.
More than 34 million people in the U.S. currently live with lung disease. For many patients, lung disease is a chronic, lifelong journey. The most common lung diseases a physician will diagnose include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and pneumococcal pneumonia.
“The lungs are susceptible to various diseases just like any other organ in the body. When diseases of the lung tissue or the airways develop, symptoms can affect both a person’s health and their quality of life,” said Dr. Amit “Bobby” Mahajan, Volunteer Medical Spokesperson for the American Lung Association. “The most common diseases that physicians diagnose in the United States are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Both diseases can result in significant shortness of breath and can significantly affect an individual’s quality of life.”
Knowing the early signs of lung disease can help individuals receive treatment before it becomes serious or life-threatening. Chronic cough (eight weeks or longer), shortness of breath, chronic mucus/phlegm production, wheezing, coughing up blood, and chronic chest pain are all warning signs of lung disease. Individuals experiencing any variety of these symptoms should see a healthcare provider as soon as possible, according to the American Lung Association.
“Lung health is extremely important because when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters,” said Dr. Mahajan. “Preventative measures, like not smoking or quitting smoking, are essential to keeping the lungs healthy. Talking to a physician can provide an individual with effective care and prevent symptoms that would otherwise result in a poor quality of life.”
Preventing lung cancer
Lung cancer (and bronchus cancer) represents 11.7% of all new cancer cases in the U.S. each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Lung cancer has one of the lowest five-year survival rates out of all other types of cancers, because cases are often diagnosed in their later stages when the disease is less likely to be curable.
“Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer that we deal with in the medical community. Approximately 235,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States yearly and close to 130,000 people die from lung cancer yearly in the United States,” said Dr. Mahajan. “There are more deaths associated with lung cancer compared to colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined.”
Lifesaving lung cancer screening is available for those at high risk; however survey data from the American Lung Association shows that most people are not aware of this. Annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT scans can reduce the lung cancer death rate by
up to 20%.
“If shortness of breath has been progressive due to unknown reasons, there are highly effective tests to determine the cause of an individual’s lung symptoms,” said Dr. Mahajan.
By detecting lung cancer tumors at an earlier stage, the disease is more likely to be treatable. Individuals 50 to 80 years old that are current smokers, or those that quit within the last 10 years, are considered high risk and should get screened each year.
“Lung cancer is generally silent until it has reached advanced stages,” said Dr. Mahajan. “New diagnostic tools and surgical treatments have allowed physicians to identify lung cancers earlier, resulting in improved survival rates. Additionally, targeted therapies, as opposed to traditional chemotherapeutic options, have been developed that effectively treated advanced lung cancer with significantly fewer side effects.”
The leading risk factor for lung cancer is tobacco use, which accounts for 80% to 90% of cases, according to the American Lung Association. Prevention of lung cancer includes eliminating the use of tobacco products and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke.
Lung disease prevention
Reducing the risk of lung disease overall includes implementing lifestyle changes, not smoking, avoiding exposure to indoor pollutants, and more. Smoking cigarettes and the use of tobacco is the major cause of lung cancer and COPD, as tobacco use narrows the air passages in the lungs and makes breathing more difficult, according to the American Lung Association. Smoking also causes chronic inflammation and swelling in the lungs, which can lead to chronic bronchitis and cancer.
“There is a direct link between tobacco usage and lung disease,” said Dr. Mahajan. “Combustible gases that are inhaled from cigarette usage result in direct injury to the lung tissue. The carcinogens and toxic substances within cigarettes also result in an increased chance of lung cancer.”
“Speaking to your lung doctor or your primary care physician is important, as they can prescribe effective medications to decrease a person’s urge to smoke,” said Dr. Mahajan. “Even more important, there are smoking cessation counselors who meet with people in person or virtually to provide behavioral therapies to help people to quit smoking. These two methods combined provide the best chance to quit.”
Breathing exercises may also help strengthen muscles to aid in disease prevention and improve symptoms for those living with lung disease. Much like aerobic exercise improves heart function, breathing exercises can make the lungs more efficient. With healthy lungs, breathing comes naturally, but over time with diseases such as asthma and COPD, the lungs lose their “springiness,” and stale air can become trapped within the lungs. Overtime, according
to the American Lung Association, this stale air builds up within the lungs, leaving less room for the diaphragm to contract and bring in fresh oxygen. In this case, the body starts using other muscles in the neck, back, and chest for the process of breathing, resulting in less oxygen reserve for everyday activities.
If practiced regularly, breathing exercises can help smokers and non-smokers rid the lungs of accumulated stale air and engage the diaphragm to breathe more efficiently. Common breathing exercises recommended by pulmonary rehabilitation specialists include pursed lip breathing and diaphragmic breathing (belly breathing), which can help improve lung capacity.
Exercise can also keep the lungs healthy. Physical activity can reduce the risk of many forms of serious illness, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and lung cancer. American Lung Association guidelines recommend both aerobic activities and muscle-strengthening activities (such as weightlifting) to help benefit the lungs.
Resources and support for lung health
The American Lung Association’s Patient & Caregiver Network, a community across the U.S. that connects people suffering from lung diseases, has launched a Wellness Hub, providing its members with access to videos and articles to help individuals with lung disease. These resources aim to improve the mental and physical health of those living with chronic lung illnesses. The Wellness Hub also provides patients with a platform that connects patients to others who have also experienced living with lung disease for support.
Resources available include mindfulness and breathing exercises to help manage stress, meditation videos, movement practices, nutrition and recipe information, and more. Many lung diseases are a chronic journey, and communities like the Wellness Hub are a critical component of improving the lives and well-being of patients.
To specifically address lung health for children, The Lung Association’s “Creating Lung-Friendly Environments for Youth” initiative aims to help schools and caregivers address chronic lung diseases such as asthma, air quality, and tobacco-free lifestyles. Through this program, parents, students, and school officials are provided with education on four critical areas of lung health including asthma awareness and treatment options, reducing tobacco use, healthy indoor air quality, and vaccination for infectious respiratory disease.
“Preventative measures and access to support and resources are essential to keeping your lungs healthy. The best prevention strategies for lung disease is to never start smoking in the first place, and if you do smoke, to quit,” said Dr. Mahajan. “People that have lung diseases that are not related to smoking can prevent exacerbation or worsening of symptoms by seeing their doctor regularly to make sure that their medications are working effectively. They can also create an action plan with their physician for instances when lung disease symptoms might worsen, for example, when they develop a cold.”
Maintaining lung health is a consistent effort, and Dr. Mahajan recommends “understanding the symptoms of your lung disease, encouraging your physician to explore the most up-to-date therapies, and remaining consistently active. The more active a person is, the more they can know when their symptoms need to be addressed. The best way to manage symptoms associated with lung disease is to educate yourself.”
Lung health: Youth E-Cigarette use drops to lowest level in a decade
Half a million fewer U.S. youth reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared to 2023, according to new data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nationally representative data featured in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) includes findings on e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use among U.S. youth, two categories of tobacco products the FDA and CDC are monitoring closely, particularly regarding youth use and appeal.
NYTS is an annual school-based, self-administered survey of U.S. middle (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students conducted Jan. 22 to May 22, 2024. Findings showed there was a significant drop in the number of U.S. middle and high school students who reported current (past 30 days) e-cigarette use – a decrease from 2.13 million (7.7%) youth in 2023 to 1.63 million (5.9%) youth in 2024. This decline was largely driven by reduced e-cigarette use among high schoolers (1.56 million to 1.21 million), with no statistically significant change in current e-cigarette use among middle school students within the past year. The number of youth who used e-cigarettes in 2024 is approximately one-third of what it was at its peak in 2019, when over five million youth reported current e-cigarette use.