Conditions affecting the respiratory system may be obvious, or may be confused for a problem in another body system. The most common symptoms associated with respiratory disease are:

• cough- a common symptom of respiratory illness; may be acute or chronic, depending on the illness
• chest pain– many respiratory illnesses can cause chest pain or discomfort. Chest pain may result from coughing a lot (muscle or rib pain) or from irritation of the pleura, the membranes that cover the lung.
• fever– fever may be caused by inflammation or infection anywhere in the respiratory tract; ir may also occur with mailgnancy (cancer)
• fatigue– fatigue may be due to not having enough oxygen circulating in the blood stream
• hemoptysis– coughing up blood may occur in tuberculosis and in malignancy (lung cancer), but it occasionally occurs from coughing too much, especially in patients taking blood thinners
• wheezing– individuals with asthma may wheeze, this is due to inflammation and swelling in the airways that restrict air movement
• shortness of breath– individuals may feel short of breath if their oxygen levels are low
• malaise– malaise is feeling generally unwell
• sputum production– pneumonia and other infections of the respiratory tract may cause increased sputum production; asthma may also cause this
• headache– headache may be induced by coughing, or it may be related to infection or inflammation
• hoarseness– excessive coughing or infection of the pharynx (pharyngitis) may cause your voice to become hoarse

I am an internal medicine physician. I am also a geriatrician. I treat a variety of adult respiratory illnesses, including:

• asthma
• emphysema
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• pneumonia
• colds
• influenza
• bronchitis

When you come in to see me in the clinic requiring respiratory care, I will need to gather the following information from you:

• past medical history
• allergies (environmental, food and medications)
• family history