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Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
About me
Loudi Central Hospital, Department of Respiratory Medicine, attending physician, has been engaged in clinical work in respiratory medicine for many years, and has rich clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory system diseases.
Proficient in diseases
Specializes in common respiratory diseases such as upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and tuberculosis.
Voices
Can bronchial asthma be inherited?
The etiology of asthma is still very unclear, but genetics may indeed be related to bronchial asthma to some extent. Currently, a lot of research data indicates that the incidence rate of bronchial asthma is higher among the relatives of patients than in the general population, and the closer the familial relationship, the higher the incidence rate and potentially more severe the condition could be. In layman's terms, this means that if our parents have bronchial asthma, then the likelihood of their children having bronchial asthma is higher than in the general population. However, this is not absolute; it does not mean that if a parent has bronchial asthma, their children will definitely have it. The relationship is not very certain, and the genes related to bronchial asthma are also not very clear at present. Bronchial asthma is also related to many other factors.
The difference between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis
Sarcoidosis and tuberculosis, although only differing by one character in Chinese, are completely different diseases. Sarcoidosis and tuberculosis share some similarities, such as their pathological changes often involving granulomas. However, in tuberculosis, the granulomas are typically caseating, while in sarcoidosis, they are non-caseating. Tuberculosis shows characteristic features under pathological examination, whereas the diagnosis of sarcoidosis is one of exclusion, requiring the ruling out of other various granulomatous diseases. Secondly, their causes are also different; tuberculosis has a very clear cause, being an infectious disease caused by the tuberculosis bacterium. Meanwhile, the cause of sarcoidosis has not been identified clearly and may be related to a variety of factors including genetics, environment, and chemicals, among others. Additionally, the clinical manifestations of both sarcoidosis and tuberculosis are not specific, and both diseases can present symptoms like coughing, expectoration, chest pain, hemoptysis, low or high fever, weight loss, and night sweats. Thus, it is quite difficult to differentiate between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis based on symptoms alone. Moreover, their treatments differ; sarcoidosis is mainly treated with corticosteroids, while the primary treatment for tuberculosis involves anti-tuberculosis therapy.
Can you get tuberculosis on your own?
This question can be interpreted in two ways. First, whether every individual could potentially contract tuberculosis (TB) – to that, the answer is yes. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease, and we are all susceptible to the TB bacterium. Therefore, there is a chance, in our lifetimes, to be infected by the TB bacterium and consequently develop TB. The second interpretation revolves around whether a person could suddenly develop TB without specific reasons. Generally, this does not happen. In other words, a typical person would not contract TB unless they have been exposed to the TB bacterium. This means one does not contract TB arbitrarily; it occurs only after coming into contact with TB patients or the TB bacterium, leading to an infection in the lungs and resulting in TB.
Can tuberculosis be fatal?
Can tuberculosis be fatal? Of course, the answer is yes. Many diseases can lead to death, even a common cold can potentially result in death, let alone tuberculosis, which is an extraordinary illness. Currently, the mortality rate for tuberculosis patients is relatively low because the treatment for tuberculosis has improved significantly compared to the past. However, there are still a small number of patients who, due to untimely treatment of tuberculosis, discontinuation of medications on their own accord or non-compliance with medical advice, or who have other serious underlying diseases, may not tolerate the tuberculosis treatment. As a result, they could potentially die from adverse reactions to the tuberculosis medications.
How to completely cure bronchial asthma?
How can bronchial asthma be cured? First, we need to recognize that once bronchial asthma is diagnosed, it is a lifelong disease and is recurrent throughout one's life. So far, it cannot be cured. Many people on television or in magazines claim that traditional Chinese medicine, ancient secret recipes, or other means can cure bronchial asthma, suggesting various treatments. However, these are false advertisements and should not be trusted. Bronchial asthma can be controlled, meaning that it is currently incurable and can only be managed with medication. There are now many treatment options for bronchial asthma. As long as patients seek standardized treatment at legitimate hospitals, the majority of those with bronchial asthma can receive proper treatment and management.
How to cure asthma completely
How can asthma be completely cured? First, we need to understand what type of disease asthma is. Currently, most references to asthma pertain to bronchial asthma. Whether allergic, cough variant, or chest tightness variant, so far, no method has been found to completely cure bronchial asthma. It is also predicted that it will be difficult to find a cure for asthma within the next ten or twenty years. Therefore, once diagnosed with bronchial asthma, it is crucial to deeply understand this disease and learn to accept the reality that asthma cannot be completely cured at this point. It is also important to recognize that asthma can be managed. Asthma can only be controlled, not cured. Any advertisement claiming to cure asthma through any means is false and not trustworthy. Moreover, in our practical experience, we often encounter many asthma patients who, through various channels such as search engines, television, newspapers, or magazines, find advertisements for medications claiming to cure asthma. However, in practice, although these patients may find their bronchial asthma symptoms well controlled in the short term after taking these medications, the symptoms of bronchial asthma recur repeatedly after stopping the medication, becoming increasingly difficult to control. Furthermore, some asthma patients who have taken these medications often develop typical drug-induced conditions, such as Cushing's syndrome or drug-induced diabetes. We suspect that these medications likely contain oral steroids. Oral steroids can indeed be used to treat asthma, but their use in the standardized treatment of asthma is governed by very strict guidelines. Therefore, patients with bronchial asthma must not be misled by these false advertisements, otherwise, the consequences could outweigh the benefits.
Is acute bronchitis contagious?
Is acute bronchitis contagious? First, we need to understand what is acute bronchitis. What factors can cause acute bronchitis? It is currently believed that many factors including biological, physical, chemical irritants, or allergies can lead to acute bronchitis. Among these factors, biological factors are the most common, especially infections by microbes, which include viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, and chlamydia. These can potentially be transmitted to other people through droplets or other methods. Common agents include influenza viruses and chlamydia. Other factors can also cause bronchitis, such as cold air, irritant gases, or smoke irritation, as well as allergens like pollen and dust. These cases generally are not transmitted by infection, so they do not spread to other people.
Symptoms of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis of the lung presents in many forms, as there are also various types of pulmonary tuberculosis, each exhibiting different symptoms. However, the most common symptoms primarily include coughing and expectoration, which are the most typical manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis. The cough in pulmonary tuberculosis is generally mild, either dry or producing only a small amount of phlegm. If the tuberculosis is accompanied by cavities, the amount of phlegm may be larger. If there is a bacterial infection in addition to the tuberculosis, the phlegm may become purulent. Some patients with pulmonary tuberculosis may also experience hemoptysis, which can vary in amount from light to severe. A small number of patients may suffer from chest pain and difficulty breathing. Additionally, there are systemic symptoms associated with pulmonary tuberculosis, such as fever (both low and high fever may occur), night sweats, and fatigue, among others.
How long can one live with bronchiectasis?
This question is actually very difficult to answer because no doctor can predict exactly how long their patient will live. They can only provide a general prognosis of the disease. Bronchiectasis is relatively a benign condition. The prognosis for most patients depends mainly on the severity of the bronchiectasis and their comorbidities, among other factors. Generally, if a patient’s bronchiectasis is not very severe and mild, and does not affect lung function or is not compounded by other underlying diseases, they might experience long-term, recurrent coughing and sputum production, requiring long-term hospitalization. However, if they do not experience acute complications associated with bronchiectasis, such as asphyxiation caused by hemoptysis, then actually they can live for a long time. There are many patients who are in their seventies or eighties and frequently admitted to the hospital. When asked how long they have had bronchiectasis, their condition might span over forty or fifty years, or even longer. This means that patients with bronchiectasis can live for a long time, provided their condition is relatively stable and they don’t suffer from acute complications such as severe bleeding or asphyxiation. However, if the bronchiectasis is severe, or unfortunately, even if the bronchiectasis isn’t very severe, if a patient suffers from major hemoptysis, it can cause asphyxiation rapidly leading to death within minutes. Therefore, it is impossible for doctors to predict exactly how long each patient will live.
Chronic bronchitis chest X-ray manifestations
Patients with chronic bronchitis may have completely normal chest X-rays or lung CT scans in the early stages, meaning that if a patient exhibits symptoms of chronic bronchitis, such as coughing and expectorating for more than three months continuously or over two consecutive years, they can still be diagnosed with chronic bronchitis even if their chest X-ray appears normal. Additionally, as chronic bronchitis progresses over time, some patients may develop thickening of the bronchial walls or interstitial inflammation in the small bronchioles and alveoli, etc. These conditions can manifest on chest X-rays as coarse, disordered lung textures in a net-like or strip-like pattern, or as patchy shadows, which are generally more evident in the lower fields of both lungs. Observing these changes on a chest X-ray can assist in diagnosing chronic bronchitis. Furthermore, as the disease progresses, some patients with chronic bronchitis may develop into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary heart disease, and corresponding changes might be observable on chest X-rays. Additionally, patients with chronic bronchitis often experience acute exacerbations or concurrent infections, which may lead to patchy exudates visible on the chest wall.