Lungs are the quite vital organs mandated to do the respiratory function. Due to different reasons, those spongy organs are liable to various diseases. As mentioned in a previous article, obesity hypoventilation syndrome is one of them. Here are former posts, which I highly recommend you to read obesity and obesity hypoventilation syndrome. Scoliosis and kyphosis are other diseases very relevant to the lungs and their performance.

Scoliosis, kyphosis, and kyphoscoliosis !! How weird the names are? I agree with you, they really are. However, when you get to know about each of them, you might find them make sense. As it’s obvious from their names, these are two separate cases and the combination of both of them.

The spine (backbone) normally has a straight alignment when viewed from behind.  It has also three curves when viewed from the side. The neck is lordotic or curved with the concavity at the back. The chest area is curved in a forward direction, and the lower back (lumbar area) is curved once again towards the back.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity occurring in the spine. It is an abnormal curvature in the spine when viewed from behind. The sideways curving and twisting of the spine can result in chest and waist deformity. Moreover, the alignment of the shoulder and waist is often altered.

Scoliosis could be either congenital, idiopathic (with unknown cause), or a neuromuscular symptom due to another condition. Diminishing the lungs capacity is one of the worst effects of scoliosis. Another effect, is the increased pressure on heart. Eventually and above everything else, scoliosis restricts almost all the physical activities which is so much tedious. Surgery is an option for treating scoliosis.

Kyphosis

Kyphosis is purely an excessive forward bending of the backbone when viewed from the side. This bending is very pronounced in the upper back. It results from diseases as the osteoporosis, and arthritis. It can be also due to trauma. There is no associated twist or sideways deformity with kyphosis, the round back. Bowing of the back is the main manifestation of kyphosis.

Patients of advanced stages of kyphosis feel a lot of discomfort and pain. They suffer dyspnea (difficulty in breathing), problems in digestion, and cardiovascular irregularities. Kyphosis is  overcome by undergoing a spinal fusion surgery.

Kyphoscoliosis

Kyphoscoliosis is a condition comprising both kyphosis and scoliosis. It describes an abnormal curvature of the spine in both a coronal plane and sagittal plane. Kyphoscoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder causing chronic underventilation of the lungs and may be one of the major causes of pulmonary hypertension. There are many causes of these asymmetrical spinal deformities. They may be due to a birth defect (congenital), where one or more vertebrae fail to develop normally.