According to the ELF (European Lung Foundation) report, lung diseases are currently the sixth cause of death in the world, and one in eight people in the European Union dies of a respiratory disease. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the number of people hospitalized due to respiratory failure increases every year. According to epidemiologists' forecasts based on a study published by the World Bank and the World Health Organization WHO, in 2020 every fifth death of a global inhabitant will be a consequence of lung disease.
The physiological division of respiratory diseases distinguishes two types:
obstructive diseases: associated with reduced airflow in the lungs, including COPD, bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis.
- restrictive diseases: associated with a reduction in lung capacity, including interstitial lung diseases, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis, tuberculosis, tumors.
- From an anatomical point of view, respiratory system diseases are differentiated into diseases of the upper and lower respiratory system:
diseases of the upper segment: diseases of the nose, nasal cavity, nasal sinuses, pharynx, larynx and trachea diseases of the lower segment: diseases of the lungs, bronchi, pulmonary bronchioles and alveoli