Various diseases can affect the different tissue types in the lungs or the chest wall and have different causes (e.g., environmental, infectious, malignant, autoimmune, congenital). Such diseases include airway diseases (e.g., asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer), alveolar diseases (e.g., bacterial and viral pneumonias, tuberculosis, emphysema, pulmonary edema), diseases that affect blood vessels (e.g., pulmonary embolism, pulmonary artery hypertension ), diseases that affect the interstitium (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, radiation pneumonitis); diseases that affect the pleura (e.g., pneumothorax, pleural effusion, malignant mesothelioma), and diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system (e.g., myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, obesity hypoventilation syndrome).
What diseases affect breathing/respiration?
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•Last Updated: May 16, 2025
Various diseases can affect breathing and respiration by affecting different lung tissues or the chest wall, and causes range from environmental to congenital. These causes include airway diseases like asthma and COPD, alveolar diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, vascular issues like pulmonary embolism, interstitial diseases, pleural conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders.