Air pump with automatic: The lungs
Breathe in. Breathe out. Our lungs fill up with fresh air and expel the used-up air. Almost 20,000 times a day. Whether we are awake or asleep. This vital process supplies our organism with oxygen while disposing of carbon dioxide. This is why disorders of lung function always affect the entire body. Environmental influences, infections and lifestyle can attack the lungs. And hereditary predisposition also plays a role. In the laboratory we find many causes for lung complaints. You can find a selection of our tests here. Furthermore, all tests are summarized in our test list.
Pneumonia
Around half a million people fall ill with pneumonia every year. In most cases pneumonia is caused by an infection. If detected early and treated appropriately, the lungs are freed after a few weeks. The challenge: sometimes it is difficult to distinguish symptoms of pneumonia from those of a cold or other respiratory infections. We can determine the inflammation values by means of blood tests. In addition, an antibody test also provides us with indications of possible pathogens.
Allergy - what irritates the mucous membranes?
The reasons are manifold: Frequent are reactions to grass and tree pollen (hay fever), house dust mites or animal hairs. Allergy tests help to isolate the causes. A good start is an allergy screening, which includes the most common inhalation allergens. If a positive reaction is shown, the individual allergens can be determined to find the exact trigger. We offer all kinds of tests to diagnose allergies. If an allergy remains untreated, it can spread to the lungs and trigger asthma. You can read more about allergy diagnostics and therapy here.
Respiratory distress - what is behind this?
In addition to the lungs, the heart, for example, can be affected. With the nt-pro-BNP test, we can quickly find out whether a heart failure triggers breathing difficulties. Another cause of respiratory problems is COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is a common problem among smokers. The hereditary form of this lung disease, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, can be treated specifically and should therefore be clarified in each patient. If pulmonary embolism is suspected, the determination of the D-dimers provides information as to whether vascular occlusion is present. Please call us if you have questions about our laboratory tests.
Exogenous allergic alveolitis - what is that?
Regular inhalation of organic substances (hay dust, mould, bird droppings, feathers) can lead to an allergic inflammation of the alveoli. Respiratory distress at rest as well as fever, headache and aching limbs are typical signs of exogenous allergic alveolitis (EAA), also known as hay fever, farmer's or bird owner's lung, because it mainly affects farmers or bird owners. Our allergy tests help in the diagnosis. Contact us, we will find the right test for every patient.