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Spots on the lungs: causes and symptoms

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

They have detected a spot on my lung, what can it mean? If you have been presenting symptoms such as coughing, expectoration with blood and / or pain in the chest when breathing, it is likely that you have already gone to the doctor, they have requested a chest X-ray and they have detected spots in the lungs.

First of all you should know that not all the stains in the lungs are blood. It is normal for you to feel concerned about this situation and, although cancer is the cause that worries the most, most of the times that these lesions or spots appear they are due to other reasons. In the following FastlyHealarticle we will talk about the spots in the lungs: causes and symptoms .

What does it mean when there is a spot on the lung

Not all spots on the lungs are alarming, infections are in fact the most common causes of lung injury . Among the most common infections that show spots in the lungs are:

  • Pneumonia : infectious disease that occurs in one or both lungs, generally of bacterial origin. The lesions on the radiograph represent the congested alveoli of secretions. The image shows an irregular white spot, commonly located at the base of the lung.
  • Tuberculosis : chronic and progressive infection, common in people with a lowered immune system, such as HIV . Tuberculosis can cause whitish spots in the lungs that can be seen on X-rays. It also causes weight loss and cough with expectoration of more than 15 days of evolution, characteristic symptoms.
  • Granulomas : they are nothing more than masses of immune cells formed as a self-defense mechanism when the body is faced with foreign substances. There are diseases that are characterized by being granulomatous, for example: tuberculosis, histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis.

Stain in the lung on CT scan for pulmonary edema

The pulmonary edema medically defined as the accumulation of fluid inside the lungs. Among the common symptoms of pulmonary edema are:

  • Coughing up blood.
  • Pallor.
  • Profuse sweating
  • Anxiety.
  • Oliguria.
  • Tachycardia.

This pathology represents a medical emergency, so if you notice these symptoms you should visit the doctor. Pulmonary edema represents the second cause of lesions in the lungs when a doctor evaluates a chest x-ray, they are also observed as slightly blurred spots in the lung surroundings, the frequent symptom of this disease is shortness of breath or dyspnea .

When visualizing a lesion in the lungs, pulmonary fibrosis should not be overlooked in which the lung heals and therefore this tissue will not receive adequate oxygen. Although its causes are unknown, smoking tobacco is the most common cause.

A spot on the lung what can it mean

If you have been detected a spot on the lung, you should know that there are other pathologies that can also be detected through chest X-rays, these spots can be cancerous and non-cancerous growths. Among those that are not cancerous we find:

  • Hemartomas : are disorganized tissues that can reach large sizes similar to tumors but called malformation. They can develop anywhere in the body, standing out in the lungs.
  • Lipomas : they are benign tumors of fatty tissue, they are usually located on the skin but can appear in any place or organ with fatty tissue, including the lungs. The risk factor for the appearance of pulmonary lipomas is tobacco smoke. It is evident in the X-ray as a well-defined rounded mass.

On the other hand, lung cancer is the most serious reason related to lung spots, it is frequent in heavy smokers, in fact it turns out to be the disease with the highest mortality worldwide. The most dangerous thing about this disease is that its course is asymptomatic or silent, however, when it is diagnosed, the characteristic advanced symptoms are already present. The chest X-ray shows small or large nodules, depending on the stage of the lung cancer , which are seen as a white spot on the X-ray.

Symptoms of spots in the lungs

Determining the spots in the lungs can arise by chance by routine studies or when presenting the common symptoms of respiratory diseases such as:

  • Cough with expectoration.
  • Hemoptisis.
  • Dyspnoea or shortness of breath or difficulty repairing.
  • Chest pain when breathing.
  • Dysphonia the snore.
  • Night sweats
  • Weightloss.
  • Fever

They have detected a spot on my lung: What should I do?

The lungs are fundamental to life. The ideal is to prevent the appearance of a stain or lung injury with good habits, however, these tips can also serve to keep the lungs healthy :

  • Exercising to have strong lungs, walking or swimming is recommended.
  • By quitting smoking, most of the lung diseases where the spots seen on CT scans are prevalent are caused by tobacco.
  • reducing the consumption of fats allowing to have clean lungs.
  • It is also recommended to detoxify the lungs for 3 days with fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of water, reducing the consumption of coffee, sugar and processed foods.
  • The use of carrots strengthens the lung mucosa.
  • On the other hand, radish is a natural antibiotic and can be used in herbal teas and salads.
  • Garlic is a natural product that allows you to breathe better by ingesting 1 garlic on an empty stomach daily.
  • It is recommended to use valuations with eucalyptus to clean the respiratory system.
  • Practice breathing exercises, vital to enjoy lung health. Breathing in slowly through the nose for a mental count of 5 and exhaling through the mouth at the same time. Repeat this exercise 5 times a day.

Obviously the causes are multiple but the main trigger is cigarette smoke, however, it is important that before being alarmed by the spots in the lungs to go to a pulmonologist specialist who will request the complementary tests to determine the proper diagnosis and the treatment you need. .

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Spots in the lungs: causes and symptoms , we recommend that you enter our Lung and respiratory tract category .

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