Today, i'm gonna talk about this lung illness called, Pneumothorax. i suffered from this in April, and just as recently, my classmate suffered from it as well. just want to raise awareness to tall and thin people, so you all have a knowledge about it.

Pneumothorax: (a.k.a Air around the lung; Air outside the lung)

A pneumothorax is commonly known as a collapsed lung. Normally, the outer surface of the lung sits next to the inner surface of the chest wall. Thin membranes called pleura cover both surfaces. A pneumothorax occurs when air escapes from the lungs or leaks through the chest wall and enters the space between the two membranes (pleural cavity). As air builds up, it causes the nearby lung to collapse.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is the occurrence of pneumothorax without a clear cause. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when there is no known underlying lung disease. It is thought to be caused by the rupture of a small, air-filled sac in the lung called a bleb or a bulla. The disease affects tall, thin men between 20 and 40 years old most frequently. Cigarette smoking and family history are contributing factors(but, i don't smoke or neither my family history has got this).


Symptoms of pneumothorax include:
Sudden shortness of breath
Painful breathing
Sharp chest pain, often on one side
Chest tightness
Dry, hacking cough
Bluish color skin (because of a lack of oxygen)
Rapid heartbeat



Pneumothorax occurs when air leaks from inside of the lung to the space between the lung and the chest wall. The lung then collapses. The dark side of the chest (right side of the picture) is filled with air that is outside of the lung tissue.


Most people doesn't know about this illness, but it is really common. for more information, do read about it by searching for pneumothorax in either yahoo or google.

-fred.