Cough, fever, difficulty breathing, back and chest pain, poor sleep, and frequent awakenings in the early morning can warn of lung diseases.
Master, Doctor Dang Thanh Do, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said he is often exposed to cigarette smoke, chemicals, cooking smoke, and works in a polluted air environment. .. makes the lungs vulnerable. At this time, the ventilation and elasticity of the lung alveoli decrease, hindering the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and the body gradually loses energy.
According to Dr. Do, when the lungs are damaged, the body has many unusual symptoms, even when sleeping.
Coughing a lot at night or early morning can be a sign of pneumonia, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease… Cough lasting more than 8 weeks, often severe before going to bed or early in the morning, appearing many times during the night, mixed with phlegm or having may be accompanied by blood.
At night, the body secretes less of the hormone epinephrine, which relaxes the airways. Lung disease, respiratory tract inflammation, the vagus nerve stimulates the respiratory mucosa, increasing mucus secretion and accumulating in the throat. The weather at night is cold, the respiratory system works hard to eliminate mucus, and pathogens also stimulate the continuous cough reflex.
Shortness of breath is a symptom related to serious lung health problems such as pulmonary embolism, infection, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer… The patient breathes shallowly, feeling short of breath leading to shortness of breath. intermittently while sleeping, especially when lying on your back. This happens because the lungs do not function normally, the ability to exchange gases is weakened, causing lack of oxygen during sleep.
According to Dr. Do, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath are two of the most common symptoms of lung cancer. The cause is when the tumor grows, causing airway obstruction. It can lead to inflammation, increasing the feeling of shortness of breath. This disease also causes pleural effusion (fluid buildup in the space between the lungs and chest wall) leading to difficulty breathing.
Wheezing, stridor Can occur in cases of impaired lung function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia… Sometimes due to the impact of gravity, body pressure in a position Lying down, the muscles in the pharynx relax, the airway collapses and is narrower than normal, leading to wheezing and snoring. This condition is common in overweight and obese people, smokers, drinkers of alcohol, and the elderly. People in this group are also at high risk of lung disease.
Chest pain occurs due to cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurological causes. However, if it occurs frequently when lying down and only subsides when sitting up or changing position, it may be related to lung problems such as pleurisy, pneumonia, pleural effusion or pneumothorax. The pain is often accompanied by difficulty breathing, cough or fever.
Night sweats Appears when the lungs have malignant lesions such as cancer. Significant changes in hormone levels as the body tries to fight cancer can easily lead to excessive sweating.
Sometimes this is also a symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis toxins and its metabolites cause autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The hypothalamus sets a higher than normal body temperature for a period of time. After that, the temperature returns to normal, excess heat will be lost through sweating. Therefore, patients often sweat abnormally after sleeping and stop sweating after waking up. Pulmonary tuberculosis also causes accompanying symptoms such as prolonged cough, fever, difficulty breathing, and weight loss.
Fever in the afternoon or when sleeping at night accompanied by cold spikes is often a sign of pulmonary tuberculosis. According to Dr. Do, in the afternoon and evening, body temperature often tends to increase slightly due to the natural circadian rhythm. TB bacteria are more active at these times, causing an inflammatory response, creating mediators such as cytokines, stimulating the body to respond by increasing temperature, leading to fever.
This phenomenon is also related to the body’s physiological cycle when the level of the hormone cortisol, which inhibits the inflammatory response, gradually decreases in the evening. When cortisol levels are lower, the inflammatory response becomes stronger, making symptoms such as fever and fatigue more pronounced later in the day. When infected with tuberculosis, the patient has a mild fever in the afternoon, about 37.3-38 degrees Celsius, accompanied by a persistent cough with phlegm for over 2 weeks, and more seriously, coughing up blood.
Unrestful sleepa feeling of panic when waking up, nightmares about not being able to breathe or being oppressed can occur if the patient frequently has difficulty breathing during sleep. These nightmares reflect a lack of oxygen in the body, causing the nervous system to warn through dreams.
The feeling of shortness of breath causes the patient to change sleeping position many times during the night, disrupting sleep. During the period of 3-5 hours, the lungs increase their activity, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis are often awakened at this time. Patients are easily tired, exhausted, often sleepy, lose concentration during the day, have pale skin, and lose weight rapidly.
Doctor Do examines the patient. Photo: Provided by the hospital
To diagnose lung disease, Dr. Do said it is necessary to do a clinical examination, blood tests, sputum samples… combined with X-rays and computed tomography (CT). Methods help examine the structure of the lungs, detecting abnormalities such as tumors, inflammation, or lung tissue damage.
Pulmonary function tests such as spirometry evaluate the respiratory capacity of the lungs by measuring the amount of air exhaled and breathing rate. A lung tissue biopsy may be indicated to confirm the diagnosis of cancer. In some cases, the doctor may request a bronchoscopy to directly observe the inside of the respiratory tract and provide appropriate treatment.
To protect lung health, Dr. Do recommends staying away from cigarette smoke and not being in environments polluted with dust or chemicals. Wear a mask when going out, maintain a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Regular exercise helps strengthen lung function and improve respiratory ability. Vaccination against influenza and pneumococcus fully and on schedule, and regular health check-ups also prevent serious diseases.