What are common examples of obstructive lung disease?

What are common examples of obstructive lung disease?

• A. Asthma and pneumonia
• B. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma
• C. Bronchitis and lung cancer
• D. Fibrosis and tuberculosis

Answer: (B)

Obstructive lung diseases are characterized by a reduction in airflow due to obstruction in the airways, making it difficult to exhale all the air from the lungs. This includes conditions that lead to inflammation, narrowing of the airways, or increased resistance to airflow. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema, both of which are associated with airflow limitations. Asthma is another prominent example of an obstructive lung disease, as it involves reversible airway obstruction due to bronchial hyperreactivity and inflammation. The presence of both COPD and asthma as common examples highlights the essential feature of obstructive lung diseases—difficulty with expiration due to obstruction. In contrast, other options contain conditions that are not typically classified as obstructive lung diseases. Pneumonia, for instance, primarily affects the alveoli and leads to fluid-filled lungs, but it does not cause the same type of airflow obstruction seen in COPD and asthma. Similarly, conditions like lung cancer may cause obstruction, but they are not classified as obstructive lung diseases on their own, as the term specifically refers to chronic conditions that lead to long-term airflow limitations. Fibrosis, meanwhile, is classified as a restrictive lung disease, which is marked by reduced

Obstructive lung diseases are characterized by a reduction in airflow due to obstruction in the airways, making it difficult to exhale all the air from the lungs. This includes conditions that lead to inflammation, narrowing of the airways, or increased resistance to airflow.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema, both of which are associated with airflow limitations. Asthma is another prominent example of an obstructive lung disease, as it involves reversible airway obstruction due to bronchial hyperreactivity and inflammation. The presence of both COPD and asthma as common examples highlights the essential feature of obstructive lung diseases—difficulty with expiration due to obstruction.

In contrast, other options contain conditions that are not typically classified as obstructive lung diseases. Pneumonia, for instance, primarily affects the alveoli and leads to fluid-filled lungs, but it does not cause the same type of airflow obstruction seen in COPD and asthma. Similarly, conditions like lung cancer may cause obstruction, but they are not classified as obstructive lung diseases on their own, as the term specifically refers to chronic conditions that lead to long-term airflow limitations. Fibrosis, meanwhile, is classified as a restrictive lung disease, which is marked by reduced