Smoking can create holes in the lungs.
There are many reasons why a person's lungs would be riddled with holes. Unfortunately, finding out the reason why is only half the battle. The holes will typically need to be repaired through surgery or, if there are too many holes to be repaired, medication can be used to promote healthy breathing patterns.
Tuberculosis
According to U.S. News & World Report, a patient thought to have tuberculosis will undergo a chest x-ray to see if the lungs have holes in them. The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department attributes these holes to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which are bacteria that destroy the soft tissues that make up the lungs. Tuberculosis also causes night sweats, fatigue and otherwise-unexplained weight loss. The treatment for tuberculosis is oral antibiotics.
Smoke
Long-term exposure to smoke of any kind, whether it be from cigarettes, cannabis or fires, can eventually lead to damaged alveolar walls or emphysema, a condition characterized by holes in the lungs. In recent years, researchers have found some surprises in their studies of emphysema. For example, firefighters have an increased risk of developing emphysema from smoke inhalation, claims the website Family Doctor. In 2007, Zoe Smeaton wrote an article for BBC News that decried cannabis smoke as being dangerous, citing as evidence the holes in the lungs of a 37-year-old woman who smoked cannabis everyday for 20 years. Just a few years later, a study published by Dr. Gina Lovasi and her cohorts claimed that children who grew up with cigarette-puffing parents had holes in their lungs.
Valley Fever
While mushrooms are a good type of fungus, coccidioides are a bad type of fungus that causes a condition known as valley fever. According to the University of Arizona's Valley Fever Center for Excellence, the fungus spores grow under the topsoil, are kicked up by the wind or some other disturbance, and then mingle with dust in the air. When people breathe the dust, they are unknowingly inhaling the fungus spores as well. If not treated quickly, this fungus can linger in the lungs and cause holes. Unfortunately, The Arizona Republic asserted, valley fever is often misdiagnosed as a cold or pneumonia because the symptoms, like fevers and coughing, are so commonplace. The only good news is that valley fever is not contagious; once the spores are in the victim's body, they will stay there.
Tags: holes lungs, valley fever, fungus spores, holes Unfortunately, type fungus
