A set of thin membranes, the pleura, covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity thereby protecting and cushioning the lungs. An abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural space is called a pleural effusion.

Shortness of breath is also described as extreme squeezing in the chest, air hunger, trouble breathing, breathlessness or a feeling of suffocation, known medically as dyspnea.

A cough that lasts more than three weeks’ is identified as persistent cough.

The lungs are an integral part of the respiratory system, making it possible for us to breathe. Lung cancer, typically in the cells lining air passages, is the uncontrolled development of abnormal cells in one or both lungs.

A category of progressive lung diseases is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, generally referred to as COPD. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common. Many COPD individuals have both of these conditions.

Bronchial asthma is caused by the narrowing and swelling of the airway path of the lungs, which then produces excess mucus which would make it harder to breathe, and will cause patient to have more difficulty in breathing, more coughing and also wheezing.