Lung Cancer

• Lung cancer is the most fatal type of cancer in the United States for men and women. In fact, it kills more people than those lymph, colon, prostate and breast cancer combined. For the most part, lung cancer can be prevented. Nearly 90 percent of lung cancer cases exist because of smoking. The longer you smoke, the more likely you are to contract lung cancer. A person who smokes for many years and then quits still significantly decreases her risk of getting lung cancer.
  
  

Bronchitis

• Bronchitis occurs when a person's bronchial tubes become inflamed. The bronchial tubes are used to carry air in and out of your lungs. Acute bronchitis often occurs when a person has a cold or some kind of respiratory infection. Chronic bronchitis is more serious. Whereas acute bronchitis lasts for a limited period of time, chronic bronchitis is characterized as a constant inflammation of the bronchial tubes. This often is caused by cigarette smoke.
  
  

Emphysema

• Emphysema is a disease that limits the amount of air that you can exhale from your body. Emphysema often occurs in smokers. The cigarette smoke gradually destroys the air sacs at the end of the bronchioles (airways). As emphysema gradually worsens, the air sacs cluster together and some of the oxygen that enters your lungs never makes it to your bloodstream. Treatment can slow this process, but cannot cure it.
  
  

Asthma

• Asthma occurs when your bronchial tubes become constricted because of inflammation. Asthma can be a minor or a serious condition. In some cases, asthma causes minor wheezing in a person. In other situations, asthma attacks can be life-threatening. Although asthma cannot be cured, you can control it by doing things such as using inhalers prescribed by a doctor.
  
  

Pneumonia

• When an infection inflames your lungs, this is called pneumonia. While pneumonia is not as deadly as it was decades ago, it can be particularly dangerous in very young children and the elderly if not treated. Pneumonia often occurs along with the flu. Although antibiotics can help treat some kinds of pneumonia, it is best to try to avoid it by not getting the flu in the first place.