Recently Answered Questions
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Are the streaky opacities in lungs seen in chest x-ray cancer?
Query: Hello doctor, There are streaky opacities seen on my chest X-ray. I would like to know more about the meaning of these findings. Are streaky opacities associated with malignancy? My key symptom is shortness of breath. I have no coughing, no fever, no sputum, and no hemoptysis. Also, I am an ex-smok... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I have read through your query in detail. Please find my observations below. Streaky opacities scattered in both lung fields means that there might be small straight lung shadows along the air passages on your X-ray on both the sides. These prominent airways in the lun... Read Full »
I wake up breathless. Can Salbutamol help?
Query: Hello doctor, When I am asleep in bed and it is cold outside, I wake up out of breath and unable to breathe. I gasp for breath. This happens few times a week, only in the fall and winter. I eventually fall back asleep. I just got an inhaler, Ventolin. Hope this helps me. I do not know what is causin... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. With your history, it seems you have airway obstruction probably due to seasonal change. Continue Ventolin (Salbutamol). Once your symptoms are settled, do a spirometry test, to assess the level of obstruction. Take care. Read Full »
I am having difficulty taking deep breaths. Please help.
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 28 year old female. I weigh 55 kg, and my height is 168 cm. I have been having difficulty taking a deep breath for over a year now. I got it suddenly one day while riding my bike. It feels like my breath is not completed or like I am missing some air. Some days it does not occu... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I am thinking it might be coming from your lungs, or it could be anemia. Have you been a smoker? Do you have a history of childhood asthma? Have you had any breathing test or blood work done recently? Revert with more information to an internal medicine physician onli... Read Full »
I am diagnosed with emphysema. Will quitting smoking help?
Query: Hi doctor, I have had a CT scan of the head, neck, and chest. My doctor told me that I have chronic sinus. I already knew these things and had sinus surgery. But, in the report, it was mentioned as mild emphysema. Can that get fixed if I stop smoking? I have been using Advair for years for asthma. ... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Emphysema is a non-reversible change in the lungs. But, yes, the further progression can be controlled by stopping smoking. Now, to know the extent of damage, I would advise you to go for a pulmonary function test (spirometry) that would help you to know the level of da... Read Full »
Will quitting alcohol and cigarettes improve my blood tests?
Query: Hello doctor, I am suffering from hypertension since few years, and I am currently on medication Telmisartan. I am an alcoholic and smoker, and I smoke approximately 15 cigarettes a day for the last five years. My current CBC report suggests high RBC, hemoglobin, and PCV. Though it reduced slightly ... Read Full »
Dr. Goswami Parth Rajendragiri
Answer: Hi,Welcome to icliniq.com.I have gone through your attached reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity).The diagnosis is polycythemia. Polycythemia can be secondary or primary. Secondary polycythemia occurs because of hypoxia, which activates the oxygen sensor and more erythropoietin is... Read Full »
Streakiness seen in X-ray of lower lung. Could this be IPF?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 62-year-old male. I went for a routine X-ray, and the radiologist found some streakiness in the lower left lung. He said it appeared small and not significant, but it was adviced that I should come back in six months for a comparative X-ray and that it could just be a scar from... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Does not look worrisome (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Small streaks or fibrosis is usually due to old infection or collapses etc., The usual cause for such fibrosis is typically an infection and commonly found at such age groups. The probability ... Read Full »
Does low FEV in spirometry indicate COPD in a non-smoker?
Query: Hello doctor,I am a 32-year-old male and not a smoker. Recently I had trouble breathing and felt mucus stuck in my throat that I constantly had to clear up. My breathing problems come and go. Usually, it lasts for days then goes away. They do not get worse with exercise. The symptoms started at the ... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I can understand your concern. According to your statement, you have suffered from breathing difficulties and feeling mucus stuck in the throat. If your FEV 1 (forced expiratory volume) values are lower than average (average predicted values are more than 80%), suggest... Read Full »
Why do I get runny nose so often?
Query: Hi doctor, I have got cold because of the temperature changes at work. When it is so hot, we have all the fans and air conditioners on. And it is the third time already in four months. It starts with a runny nose for two days, and then I start coughing. Last time I had a temperature of 37.2. And I h... Read Full »
Dr. Amol Kumar Wasudeorao Diwan
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thanks for writing your query to me. As you said you get frequent attacks of runny nose and now coughing suggest an allergic cause. So it can be asthma and allergic rhinitis due to dust allergy. Getting blood in sputum is common in allergic bronchitis. Spirometry test (P... Read Full »
How to heal the lungs naturally in a chain smoker?
Query: Hello doctor, My father is 65 years old and he was a chain smoker. He stopped smoking one year ago. But I am afraid about his health. What should I do to heal his lungs naturally? Kindly help. Read Full »
Dr. Goswami Parth Rajendragiri
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I went through your query and understood your concern. He can go for a chest X-ray investigation to find if any lesion or fibrosis is present. A spirometry test is also helpful for identifying obstructive lung disease. According to the cause and diagnosis specific trea... Read Full »
Can iron deficiency anemia cause shortness of breath?
Query: Hi doctor, My age is 26 and having iron deficiency anemia. My Hb level is 11 but ferritin 18. Sometimes, I felt shortness of breath. Now, I am taking Iron medicine but when I quit taking iron tablets, my situation gets worse with time. Read Full »
Dr. Goswami Parth Rajendragiri
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. You can complete the course of iron medication for two to three months according to your doctor's prescription. It is not advisable to take iron tablet randomly. Usually, at 11 gm Hb level, dyspnea does not occur. For your breathlessness, I suggest you investigate w... Read Full »