Glossary: Respiratory Health

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Glossary

acute exacerbations: Onset of major symptoms of COPD including difficulty breathing, increased inflammation, mucus, and sometimes fever and other symptoms, often requiring emergency room treatment.

alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency: A genetic disorder marked by a lack of alpha-1-antitrypsin, a major antiprotease in the lung. The deficiency is a cause of emphysema in some people.

alveoli: The tiny air sacs in the lungs.

anti-inflammatory drug: A drug that reduces inflammation.

antiprotease: A chemical produced in the body that blocks the activity of protease enzymes.

asthmatic bronchitis: A hybrid condition with features of both chronic bronchitis and asthma.

breathing retraining: A technique used in pulmonary rehabilitation that involves inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly to help prevent shortness of breath during activity.

bronchioles: Small airways in the lungs.

bronchodilator: Medication that relaxes the muscles around the airways to keep them from constricting.

bullae: Abnormal air pockets in the lungs of people with emphysema.

bullectomy: An operation to remove individual bullae from the lungs.

chest physiotherapy: A technique for helping you bring up mucus from the lungs. It involves tapping on your chest or back, often while you are in a position that allows gravity to help you bring up the secretions.

chronic bronchitis: Persistent inflammation of the lining of the airways of the lungs. Along with emphysema, it is one of two lung diseases classed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

cilia: Small hairlike structures on the surface of some cells, such as those in the airways.

cor pulmonale: Enlargement and weakness of the heart's right pumping chamber.

elastic recoil: The natural ability of the lungs to resist expanding when you inhale and to spring back to their resting shape when you exhale.

elastin: A protein that forms a matrix of connective tissue in the walls of the alveoli.

emphysema: A disease that destroys the walls of the air sacs in the lungs. Along with chronic bronchitis, it is one of two lung diseases classed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1): The volume of air, measured in liters, that you can exhale in one second.

forced vital capacity (FVC): The maximum volume of air, measured in liters, that you can exhale in one breath.

goblet cells: Cells in the airways that produce mucus.

hyperinflation: The state of the lungs when they hold too much air, as often happens with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

inspiratory muscle training: Breathing exercises used in pulmonary rehabilitation that aim to strengthen the respiratory muscles, making it easier for you to breathe.

lung transplantation: Surgery that replaces a diseased lung with a healthy lung from a human donor.

lung volume reduction surgery: An operation to remove damaged lung tissue.

proteases: Enzymes that normally fight infections in the body but which in large quantities degrade lung tissue and contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, the blood vessel that channels blood from the heart to the lungs.

spirometer: A machine that measures how much air you can hold in your lungs and how easily you can inhale and exhale.

Last updated:	May 23, 2007