If you have a cough that lasts eight weeks or longer, or have shortness of breath that gets worse with activity, your doctor may diagnose you with restrictive lung disease. You may also have symptoms such as mucus production or a fever.
Restrictive lung diseases stop your lungs from expanding fully during inhalation, which limits the amount of oxygen you take in. Your doctors can identify them by taking blood and imaging tests.
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A cough can be caused by a number of illnesses and conditions. Most people will only require medical attention if the cough persists for more than 3 weeks and is associated with other symptoms.
Unlike obstructive lung diseases, which have obstructions blocking the airways in the lungs, restrictive lung disease restricts the ability of the lungs to expand during breathing. Asbestosis, sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis are examples of restrictive lung disease.
Patients with GERD, a condition where stomach contents leak into the esophagus can develop a chronic cough. Typically, this is accompanied by heartburn, a sour taste in the mouth and bad breath. However, some patients do not experience pain and only complain of the cough.
The chest wall is vital to the mechanical action of breathing and consists of the bones in your rib cage (sternum and ribs), muscles that help you breathe and nerves that connect from the central nervous system to those muscles. Restrictive lung disease can lead to a loss of function in the chest wall and cause long-term respiratory failure.
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You may feel like your lungs can’t fill with enough air, and you can’t take a deep breath. This feeling is most noticeable when you exercise, cough or lie down flat. It can be accompanied by chest pain, fever and coughing up blood.
A doctor can diagnose restrictive lung disease with a physical exam and a series of tests, including pulmonary function tests (spirometry). The results tell a physician how well the lungs stretch and inhale.
People with restrictive lung disease often need oxygen therapy. This helps improve breathing, but the treatment can have side effects, such as nausea, dry mouth and dizziness. Other treatments for restrictive lung diseases can include medications that reduce inflammation and relax muscles, such as corticosteroids. A drug that suppresses the immune system, such as azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil, can help with some inflammatory restrictive lung diseases, such as sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis. A healthy lifestyle can also help ease your shortness of breath, including quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to chemicals that can irritate the lungs. Keeping a healthy weight, exercising regularly and checking for ozone warnings are other ways to keep your lungs strong.
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The chest pain of restrictive lung disease can be caused by a buildup of phlegm or mucus. It may also occur if you are breathing in certain types of dust particles, such as those found in mines and factories. This is known as pneumoconiosis and can lead to scarring of the lungs.
A chronic cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing are common symptoms. In addition, if you have a restrictive disease, your chest walls can become stiff or tight from weakened muscles. This causes the inhalation to take longer and exhalation to happen faster.
If you have a restrictive disease, you may need to start taking oxygen therapy. This can be used to help improve your lung function, especially during exercise and at night.
You can also use medications to treat the disease that is causing your symptoms. For example, there are two medications approved by the FDA to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. They are Esbriet (pirfenidone) and Ofev (nintedanib). They can reduce the damage to your lungs by slowing down the growth of scar tissue.
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Fever is an elevation of the body’s “set point” temperature above what is normal for a healthy person. This increase in temperature is usually a part of the body’s immune response to an infection or illness.
In some cases, a fever may come and go as the body fights an infection. If a fever is accompanied by other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or chest pain, a doctor should be consulted right away.
Certain types of restrictive lung disease – like asbestosis, sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis – can cause a buildup of phlegm and mucus in the lungs. Other times, restrictive lung diseases can be caused by breathing in certain types of dust particles, which can lead to a condition called pneumoconiosis.
A health care provider can talk to you about your medical history, perform an exam and order tests, such as a chest X-ray or a CT scan of the lungs. They may also recommend oxygen therapy for people who have restricted lung diseases. This can help you breathe more easily during the day and sleep better at night.
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The cough of obstructive lung disease can be dry or bring up white sputum (mucus). Weight loss is common because the inability to breathe properly limits how much food you eat and your body’s energy levels. You may also feel nauseous or tired all the time, which makes it hard to sleep at night.
Some forms of restrictive lung disease stem from autoimmune connective tissue disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma, which cause the immune system to go after healthy cells in the lungs. In some cases, these diseases lead to scarring of the lungs and other organs, making them stiffer.
Other types of restrictive lung disease are due to conditions that affect the chest wall, pleura or respiratory muscles, which restrict how far you can expand your lungs. Some of these include pulmonary fibrosis, which is irreversible, and neuromuscular disorders like multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They can be caused by extrinsic or intrinsic factors. Chest X-rays, CT scans and bronchoscopy may help identify these causes. Treatment includes medications that relax the muscles in your airways and widen your airways, such as bronchodilators such as albuterol (ProAir and others). Some people take immunosuppressants to prevent their bodies from rejecting a new lung after a transplant.