How to prove lung health

The number of smokers in China is as high as 350 million, but most people are not aware of the health hazards of long-term smoking. As doctors, we often tell smokers that long-term smoking is the most harmful to the lungs. Many people know that long-term smoking is easy to induce lung cancer, because cigarettes will release nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and other substances during burning, but they don't know that long-term smoking is also easy to induce chronic diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

If you think lung cancer is terrible, then other respiratory diseases are also troublesome. So, how can long-term smokers know that their lungs are unhealthy? Let's do five tests.

First, lung function examination is mainly used to detect the patency of respiratory tract and the size of vital capacity. In order to find lung and airway lesions early and evaluate the severity and prognosis of the disease, lung function examination must be carried out in time for long-term smokers, which is helpful for early detection of lung lesions.

Second, do you always have a dry cough when the weather changes? Many smokers will keep coughing when the weather changes, especially in autumn and winter, and mainly dry cough. At this time, we should also be alert to the changes in the lungs. When the lungs are abnormal, the first symptom is often irritating dry cough.

Third, dyspnea is becoming more and more obvious, so we should be alert to lung lesions. Normal people's lung function is very good, so there will be no difficulty breathing. Smokers' breathing difficulties are becoming more and more obvious, so be alert to lung abnormalities.

Fourthly, lung CT examination is very important to find early lung lesions, not only early lung cancer, but also bronchitis and emphysema.

Fifth, pay attention to sputum examination. Many smokers have expectoration. At this time, it is necessary to check sputum, do sputum culture, see if there are bacteria in sputum, find acid-fast bacilli, eliminate tuberculosis, or find tumor cells. If tumor cells are found directly in sputum, it must be lung cancer.