lung disease news stories on Newser

Your Fireplace Could Give You Cancer

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:14:05 CST

Ahh, fireplaces: cozy, romantic, and … as bad for you as car exhaust fumes? Apparently so: New research reveals that breathing in the smoke from open fires or wood-burning stoves can lead to cancer, and heart and lung disease. The airborne particles in the smoke are particularly harmful because they’re...

US Life Expectancy Falls for Third Time Since 1980

Kevin Spak — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 07:04:04 CST

The overall US life expectancy fell slightly in 2008, from 77.9 years to (gasp) 77.8 years, according to a new report from the CDC. It’s the first drop since 2005, and just the third since 1980. Actually, to be more precise, it was the life expectancy of white...

Kids' Form of Viagra to Treat Lung Disease

Nick McMaster — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:51:02 CDT

Pfizer plans to produce a form of Viagra designed to treat a rare form of lung disease in children. Doctors can use Viagra's well-known ability to modify blood flow to treat sufferers of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disorder in which a child suffers from unusually high blood pressure in the...

Jacko Knew He'd Die Young: Lisa Marie

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:01:00 CDT

The King of Pop was sure he would follow the King to an early grave, blogs Lisa Marie Presley. During his brief marriage to Elvis's daughter, Michael Jackson "stated with an almost calm certainty, 'I am afraid that I am going to end up like him.'" Jackson wasn't the...

Jacko's Just Fine, Thanks

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:43:00 CST

Going from deathbed to world stage in mere hours, the King of Pop's rumor mill can be tough to keep up with these day, E! Online reports. A biographer’s claim yesterday that Michael Jackson is suffering from a rare lung disease is “a total fabrication” dreamed up to sell an...

Lung Drugs Linked to Heart Risks: Study

Green Point — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:04:01 CDT

Two medications widely prescribed to emphysema and chronic bronchitis sufferers significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, USA Today reports. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a 53% increased risk of heart attacks and an 80% increased risk of cardiovascular death...

Mac's Illness Spotlights Sarcoidosis

Nick McMaster — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:56:01 CDT

Bernie Mac is in the hospital, and although his publicists deny it, the pneumonia for which the comedian's being treated may have something to do with sarcoidosis, the Chicago Tribune reports. The rare immune system disorder has been in remission since 2005.

Winehouse Leaves Hospital... Smoking

Kevin Spak — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:37:23 CDT

Amy Winehouse was released from the hospital today, but her emphysema scare doesn’t seem to have left much of an impression on the singer. As she emerged from the facility, Winehouse was seen lighting a cigarette, the Daily Mail reports. Though Winehouse has only early-stage lung disease, odds are that...

Stem Cells Show Promise for Sick Lungs

John Johnson — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:27:00 CDT

Scientists have successfully implanted stem cells into the lungs of mice in breakthrough research that could one day be used to develop new treatments for cancer patients or those suffering from major respiratory ailments. It's the first time stem cell research has focused on lungs because of the complex nature...