The lungs are organs that speak easily and cause typical symptoms when they are not well.
Unlike other organs such as the heart or liver, lungs in pain give warning symptoms which must be particularly monitored, especially if you are a smoker and we are over 40 years old. “We should listen to our lungs because they are organs that speak easily. Clinical signs of an unhealthy lung are often minimizedyet they are very clear. Three signssimple to identify, have also been listed in a self-questionnaire carried out by the High Authority of Health (HAS) to detect pulmonary diseases such as COPD“, explains in the preamble Professor Jesus Gonzalez, pulmonologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital and President of the French Language Pneumology Society (SPLF).
I cough often
A persistent or frequent cough may indicate a diseased lung. If you cough every day, your lungs will be damaged. “Coughing is a defense reflex : naturally, we cough if we breathe in a substance that irritates the respiratory tract or if we swallow wrongly. On the other hand, coughing, even from time to time, is not normal and you should not cough for no reason. Every time you cough, it’s a sign that something is irritating your lung.“, explains Professor Jesus Gonzalez. In the same way, having lung infections or inflammations that keep coming back like bronchitis is not normal and should lead to consultation without waiting for the symptoms to worsen.
My cough is wet and I have phlegm
“A wet cough or cough that brings up sputum (we are talking about “productive cough” which produces mucus) is a sign of damage to the lung(s)“, he says. Especially if it affects you when you wake up. Even more worrying: the presence of blood in the sputum, which is often linked to lung disease. “Those are easy and simple alerts to recognize which, if neglected, can have very serious consequences“, warns our interlocutor.
I am more out of breath than people my age
“Being out of breath more easily than people your age, during an everyday activity (climbing stairs or walking quickly for example) or sporting activity (you are cycling and you are much more out of breath than your partners) can be a sign of lung pain. Shortness of breath before the age of 40 is often linked to a respiratory pathology. It is appropriate to go see the pulmonologist. After 40, you may also need to see a cardiologist“, indicates our interlocutor.