Emphysema Center - Nashua, NH
Nashua Pulmonologist Doctors for EmphysemaType of Physician: Pulmonologist What is a Pulmonologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on diseases of the lungs and airways. The pulmonologist diagnoses and treats pneumonia, cancer, asthma, occupational diseases, sleep disorders, emphysema, and other complex disorders of the lungs. Pulmonologists evaluate lung function, examine the bronchial airways, and prescribe and monitor mechanical ventilation. Many pulmonary disease experts are also expert in critical care. Specialty: Pulmonary Disease Common Name: Lung Doctor Pulmonologist Doctors in Nashua * Downtown Medical Associates  Nashua Pulmonary Medical Associates  Nashua Pulmonary Medical Associates  Pulmonary Associates  Pulmonary Associates  Nashua Pulmonary Medical Associates  Pulmonary Medicine Associates  Pulmonary Medicine Associates  Pulmonary Medicine Associates  Alicia Davila MD  Concord Pulmonary Medical Associates  Concord Pulmonary Medical Associates  Concord Pulmonary Medical Associates  Concord Pulmonary Medical Associates  Exeter Pulmonary  Center For Asthma, Allergy & Respiratory Disease  David M Reeves MD  David M Reeves MD  Lakes Region General Hospital  Cheshire Medical Center  Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine Nashua, New HampshireUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
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EmphysemaIntroduction to emphysemaThe lungs are a pair of organs in the chest that are primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air we breathe and the blood. The lung is composed of clusters of small air sacs (alveoli) divided by thin, elastic walls or membranes. Capillaries, the tiniest of blood vessels, run within these walls between the alveoli and allow blood and air to come near each other. The distance between the air in the lungs and the blood in the capillaries is very small, and allows molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide to transfer across the membranes. Air reaches the alveoli via the bronchial tree. The trachea splits into the right and left mainstem bronchi, which branch further into bronchioles and finally ends in the alveolar air sacs. When we breathe in, air enters the lung and the alveoli expand. Oxygen is transferred onto hemoglobin molecules in the red blood cells to be transported to the rest of the body for use. As oxygen attaches to the red blood cell, carbon dioxide, the waste product of metabolism, detaches and crosses into the alveoli to be exhaled. When we breathe out, the alveoli get squeezed by the elasticity in their walls and air is pushed out of the lungs.
What is emphysema?Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lung(s) and occurs when the alveolar walls are destroyed along with the capillary blood vessels that run within them. This lessens the total area within the lung where blood and air can come together, limiting the potential for oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer. In early emphysema, there is associated inflammation of the small airways or bronchioles that limits the amount of air that can flow to the alveoli. In more severe emphysema, there is also loss of elasticity in the alveolar walls that have not been destroyed. When the patient breathes out, th... Recommended Reading Related to EmphysemaWhat is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of disorders which share common features including easy bruising, joint hypermobility (loose joints), skin that stretches easily (skin hyperelasticity or laxity), and weakness of tissues. The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are inherited in the genes that are passed from parents to offspring. They are categorized according to the form of genetic transmission into different types with many features differing between patients in any given type. The fragile skin and loose joints is often a result of abnormal genes that produce abnormal proteins that confer an inherited frailty of collagen (the normal protein "glue" of our tissues). In 2001, researchers discovered a new form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that is caused by an inherited abnormality in a protein other than collagen that also normally plays a role in binding together the cells of our tissues (including the skin, tendons, muscle... Other Related Emphysema ArticlesEmergency Contact for Nashua
Nearby Nashua Hospitals *Southern New Hampshire Medical Center St Joseph Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center Lowell General Hospital Parkland Medical Center Saints Medical Center Nashoba Valley Medical Center Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Elliot Hospital Tewksbury Hospital Catholic Medical Center Lawrence General Hospital Hampstead Hospital Manchester VA Medical Center Isham Health Center Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Health Alliance Burbank Hospital Emerson Hospital Merrimack Valley Hospital HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus Lahey Clinic Medical Center Baldpate Hospital  Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center  HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital  Monadnock Community Hospital  UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital  Winchester Hospital  UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital  McLean Hospital  Heywood Hospital  Melrose Wakefield Hospital  Lawrence Memorial Hospital  Anna Jaques Hospital  New Hampshire Hospital  North Shore Medical Center  Concord Hospital  HEALTHSOUTH Rehabilitation Hospital  Exeter Hospital  Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore  Somerville Hospital  Mount Auburn Hospital  Newton Wellesley Hospital  Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center  Cambridge Hospital  Westborough State Hospital  Whidden Memorial Hospital  Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center  Franciscan Hospital for Children  Beverly Hospital  Kindred Hospital Boston  MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital  North Shore Children's Hospital  Salem Hospital & the Birthplace  Arbour HRI Hospital  Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital  Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital  M I T Medical  Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick  MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital  Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital  Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough  Massachusetts General Hospital  Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary  Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center  Children's Hospital Boston  Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Brigham & Women's Hospital  New England Baptist Hospital  VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus  Tufts New England Medical Center Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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