A member asked:

My latest chest xray shows an exacerbation of the left lung. what does this mean? my chest xray shows a shadowy blur along the bottom of my left lung and i continue to cough all the time. what can i do for the cough.

3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

Simply : Simply described, a lung exacerbation is decreased lung function due to an infection or inflammation. The shadowy blur on your xray is to be evaluated by a radiologist for diagnosis as exacerbation can occur as a result of infection or several other medical conditions (for example: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cystic fibrosis) lung exacerbation can cause shortness of breath, increased coughing, fatigue and decreased pulmonary function. Based on your results, your doctor will develop a treatment regimen that can include any of the following: antibiotics (to fight an infection), a cough expectorant to loosen fluids, a diuretic to decrease fluid build up, coughing and deep breathing to mobilize fluids and incentive spirometry (a device where the patient sucks air to move a ball to a goal point, promoting deep breathing.) as your body heals, coughing may increase as fluids get mobilized. Your doctor can prescribe a medication that can ease the pain associated with coughing. Give your doctor a call.

Answered 2/25/2018

5.4k views

Thank

Sounds like: Pneumonia, you need to talk to the doctor who ordered this.

Answered 9/12/2013

4.9k views

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