Respiratory & Pulmonology Physicians

What is a respiratory physician?

A respiratory physician (or pulmonologist) is a doctor who specialsies in treating and managing patients with conditions affecting their lungs.

Why you would see a pulmonologist?

• Asthma – this is a common condition affecting the airways which are hyperresponsive and inflammed. It usually presents with shortness of breath particularly on exertion, cough and wheeze.
• Chronic bronchitis, emphysema and COPD – this spectrum of conditions is generally due to smoking. Shortness of breath and often cough are the usual symptoms.
• Lung cancer – Often due to smoking lung cancer can present with cough, coughing up blood (haemoptysis), shortness of breath or chest pain.
• Mesothelioma – this cancer generally thought to be related to asbestos exposure affects the lining of the lung. It can present with chest pain or shortness of breath.
• Interstitial lung disease – a large number of conditions can cause fibrosis (scarring) to develop within the lung. This means the native lung tissue is destroyed and patients usually present with shortness of breath.
• Pneumonia – is infection of the lung. It presents with fever, cough with green or yellow sputum (phlegm) and sometimes shortness of breath or chest pain.
• Tuberculosis – a lung infection
• Pleural effusion – fluid that collects around the lung, can be due to many different causes. Presents with shortness of breath.

What to expect when seeing a pulmonologist for the first time

History

A pulmonologist will begin by asking you some questions about your illness. How it developed, triggering factors, your symptoms and the effect of any previous treatments will be asked.

Examination

Your respiratory specialist will examine your heart and lungs. You will need to take off your shirt. With their stethoscope they will listen to your breath sounds to get clues as to the cause and severity of your problems.

Specialty areas of interest

• Paediatric respiratory medicine – children
• Lung malignancy – cancer
• Sleep medicine
• Asthma
• COPD
• Diving medicine
• Bronchoscopy
• Tuberculosis

Associated tests

• Lung function tests – breathing tests that give doctors an idea of the pattern of lung disease you may have and the significance of its impact on you.
• Arterial blood gases – a blood test, usually from the radial artery that runs next to your wrist. It shows the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood which is a measure of the efficiency with which your lungs function.
• Imaging tests including chest X-rays and CT scans
• Bronchoscopy
• Transbronchial lung biopsy
• Needle biopsy

Procedures

• Medications
• Airway stenting
• BiPAP
• Operative treatments done by cardiothoracic surgeons

Training and qualifications

• Basic medical training
• Internship
• Residency
• Specialty Training

Also known as

• Respiratory physican
• Pulmonologist
• Respiratory specialist
• Pulmonary specialist

Links

• National Asthma Council (Australia)
• The Australian Lung Foundation
• The British Thoracic Society (UK)
• Wikipedia – Respiratory System

Next steps

• Find a Respiratory Physician

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. If in doubt, HealthEngine recommends consulting with a registered health practitioner.