Doctors may suspect a problem with the lungs or airways based on symptoms. Symptoms of lung disorders often affect breathing and may include:
Cough (common)
Coughing up sputum (common)
Shortness of breath (common)
Wheezing (common)
Less commonly, a blockage in the airways between the mouth and lungs results in a gasping sound when breathing (stridor).
Symptoms that affect other parts of the body may also suggest a lung disorder is present. People with a lung disorder may have:
Clubbing (enlargement of the tips of the fingers or toes)
Cyanosis (bluish or grayish discoloration of the skin)
Some of these symptoms do not always indicate a lung problem. For example, chest pain may also result from a heart or digestive disorder, and shortness of breath can be caused by a heart or blood disorder.
Other, more general symptoms, such as fever, weakness, fatigue, or a general feeling of illness or discomfort (malaise), sometimes also reflect a lung or airway disorder. Some symptoms, such as cough or wheezing, may indicate a lung disorder. Disorders that affect the nerves or muscles, such as myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, cause weakness of the respiratory muscles and thus lung symptoms.
Respiratory symptoms may be minor (such as a cough caused by a cold) or life threatening (such as severe breathing difficulty).
The characteristics and pattern of symptoms help doctors diagnose the lung disorder.
