pneumology

Pneumology, also known as pulmonology, is a medical specialty focused on the respiratory system, including the lungs, airways, pleura, and chest wall. Practitioners—pulmonologists—diagnose and treat diseases that impair breathing and gas exchange, and work with other specialists to manage complex cases. The field encompasses physiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical care, with an emphasis on noninvasive and invasive diagnostic techniques, imaging, and therapeutic interventions.

Key tools include spirometry and other pulmonary function tests, diffusion capacity tests, chest radiography, computed tomography, bronchoscopy, pleural fluid analysis, and arterial blood gas assessment. Noninvasive therapies include inhaled medications, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, oxygen therapy, and breathing exercises. In critical care settings, pulmonologists manage mechanical ventilation and noninvasive respiratory support.

Common conditions include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, tuberculosis, interstitial and fibrotic lung diseases, sarcoidosis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and sleep-disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea. The field also addresses pediatric respiratory disorders, occupational lung diseases, and rehabilitation for chronic lung disease.

Training typically involves medical school, residency in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in pulmonology; pediatric pulmonology is a related subspecialty. Research areas include pathophysiology of gas exchange, imaging techniques, therapeutics, and epidemiology of respiratory diseases. Public health measures, vaccination, and smoking cessation are integral to prevention.