Terms & Acronyms

Lung Disease Terms, Acronyms and Abbreviations

Overview

Once you become ill with a lung disease you will become bombarded by a host of medical terms, abbreviations and acronyms. These will all be confusing, and daunting. On this page we will attempt to translate those terms etc. into easy to understand terms. We will also link to official sites where you can explore more in depth information.

List of Terms & Abbreviations

6-Minute Walk Test -- This is one of the primary tests for determining how bad your lung condition is. It measures your oxygen saturation and the distance you can walk comfortably in 6-minutes.
Acute -- In medicine, refers to the abrupt onset of a disease. Acute is also used to indicate an illness is short in duration or rapidly progressive.
Alveoli -- The sacks in the lung through which oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood.
Biopsy -- A test that removes tissue samples for forensic testing performed by pathologists
Bronchioles -- As air is inhaled, it is drawn into the trachea and enters the main bronchus. The main bronchus then divides into two bronchi (one for each lung) which continue to subdivide before becoming bronchioles.
Bronchoscopy -- A medical test where a tube with a camera is inserted through the nose or the mouth and down into the lungs to examine the lungs and take tissue samples for biopsy.
Chronic -- In medicine refers to a condition lasting a long time. The definition in medical dictionaries stipulates a minimum of 3-months. In HP, COPD or Fibrosis it can mean permanent.
Clubbing -- The thickening and enlarging of fingers and toes.
COPD -- Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease
DLCO -- Lung Diffusion Capacity Testing or how much air your lungs can process to the blood stream per breath.
Dyspnea -- The medical term for being short of breath, which is also referred to as SOB
FEV1 -- One of the measures of a PFT - (see below). It measures Forced Vital Capacity or how much air you can expel in 1-second.
FVC -- One of the measures of the PFT - (see below). It measures how much air you can expel in 1-second after taking a deep breath.
Fibrosis -- Is short for Pulmonary Fibrosis The simple meaning of Fibrosis when it comes to the lungs is scaring of the lung tissue so it no longer functions.
ILD -- Interstitial Lung Disease -- A group of diseases that cause inflammation of the tissues of the lung. These inflamed tissues can lead to fibrosis
IPF -- The medical abbreviation for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. In short, this means the medical community has no clue as to why the patient has pulmonary fibrosis.
HP -- Abbreviation for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

PF -- Is the abbreviation for Pulmonary Fibrosis -- (See Below)
Pulmonary Fibrosis -- The simple meaning of Fibrosis when it comes to the lungs is scaring of the lung tissue so it no longer functions.
PFT -- The medical abbreviation for a Pulmonary Function Test. These tests involve breathing into a machine that measures your lungs capacity, ability to blow and how well you diffuse oxygen. Refer to terms FEV1, FEVC & DLCO, below. These are the resulting measures and percentages tracked by this test.
POC -- Portable Oxygen Concentrator
Idiopathic -- The medical term that means the doctors do not know the cause of the ailment or disease.
Pulmonary -- The medical term meaning having to do with the lungs.
Pulmonologist -- A doctor who specializes in the treatment of lung conditions and lung diseases
PulseOx -- Short for the reading from a Pulse Oximeter -- (See Below)
Pulse Oximeter -- A pulse oximeter measures the pulse and oxygen saturation in the blood stream. In most cases these units are small and are put on a single finger to obtain a reading. Make sure you give it about 15-seconds to complete the reading.
SAT -- Abbreviation used for Oxygen Saturation in the blood. This can be measured by a PulseOx / pulse oximeter - (see above)
SOB -- Is slang for Shortness of Breath which is the same as Dyspnea.
Sputum -- A sample of mucous secretion from the bronchi and the lungs