Dr. John G Southard MD

What is muscular dystrophy?Muscular dystrophy is an inherited disorder, which is often characterized by a progressive type of muscular degeneration and weakness. There are several types of muscular dystrophy, wherein each type eventually leads to an increased disability, strength loss, and potential...

IntroductionEvery time you inhale, air enters your nose and mouth, and then flows down the throat through the air passageways called as bronchial tubes. For the air to reach the lungs, these passageways need to be open. To transport the oxygen to the tissues of the body, oxygen is passed into the...

Emphysema is a form of chronic lung disease and one of the main types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease is regarded as "obstructive" because people who are suffering from emphysema exhale air as if there is an obstruction. There are various factors that can cause...

Cystic fibrosis may be one of the most common autosomal recessive lethal diseases, but there remains much that is unknown about it. It has been established that the disease causes chronic pulmonary disease and is also capable of leading to cor pulmonale with right ventricular dysfunction, but it was...

What is pleurisy?Pleurisy is the inflammation of the thin pleural membranes that line the lungs.What happens in pleurisy?A thin membrane called the pleura lines your lungs. The pleura are double-layered membranes that line your lungs as well as the inner aspect of the chest wall. Between these...

What is pneumonia?Pneumonia is an acute lung infection that causes inflammation of the air sacs in either one or both lungs. The air sacs get filled with fluid or pus, making it difficult for the affected person to properly breathe. Individuals who have contracted the infection usually cough and...