Humans can’t survive without taking a breath. And the lungs are the pneumatic engines that take in oxygen to be distributed throughout the body. As long as air goes in and out every 3–5 seconds, and nothing hurts, the cycles of inhalation and exhalation fade into a background rhythm that is as boring as it is essential.
Nature Outlook: Lung health
But of course, things do go wrong. The air we breathe is often contaminated by allergens, smoke and other pollutants that wreak havoc on the lungs. The need to precisely analyse such effects has led some researchers to propose investigating the ‘exposome’ — the environmental factors that a person is exposed to throughout their life. And because indoor air, which is more directly under human control than outdoor air, can also be damaging, regulators need to step forward with stronger measures to govern its quality. On the bright side, it is becoming more apparent that merely spending time in a forest can lead to better lung health.
Of the various diseases that affect the lungs, pulmonary fibrosis is under the most-intense spotlight. Scarring around the lung’s tiny air sacs, called alveoli, leads to chronic coughing, shortness of breath, and, ultimately, death within a few years. No effective treatment for pulmonary fibrosis exists, but several drugs under development could finally bring relief. Research on how to unleash the lung’s ability to heal itself could lead to better treatments, not just for fibrosis but also for other lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
As with any therapy, these drugs will be put to best use if the diagnosis of lung conditions, such as fibrosis, can be improved. Efforts in that direction are under way, and will involve artificial intelligence as well as innovative, higher-resolution imaging technologies. Meanwhile, researchers are taking on a variety of other lung-health issues, such as long COVID, the prevalence of microplasics in the air, the genetic causes of fibrosis and the side effects of lung cancer medication.
We are pleased to acknowledge the financial support of Boehringer Ingelheim in producing this Outlook. As always, Nature retains sole responsibility for all editorial content.