VitalAir Compass
All Conditions
Browse conditions by specialty, or start from a symptom instead on theSymptoms & Questions page.
Sleep
- SleepAdvanced Sleep-Wake Phase DisorderA circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder in which the internal biological clock is persistently set several hours earlier than a person's desired schedule, producing early evening sleepiness and very early, unwanted waking, with normal sleep once allowed to follow the earlier natural schedule.
- SleepCentral Sleep ApneaA form of sleep apnea in which breathing repeatedly pauses because the brain's respiratory drive temporarily decreases or stops, rather than because the upper airway physically narrows or closes.
- SleepCircadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake DisordersA group of sleep disorders caused by a mismatch between a person's internal biological clock and the sleep-wake schedule their life or environment requires, distinct from insomnia, and including delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, shift work disorder, irregular sleep-wake rhythm, and non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder.
- SleepDelayed Sleep-Wake Phase DisorderA circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder in which the internal biological clock is persistently set hours later than a person's required schedule, producing difficulty falling asleep at conventional times, difficulty waking, and normal sleep once allowed to follow the later natural schedule.
- SleepExcessive Daytime SleepinessPersistent, impairing sleepiness during the day despite adequate opportunity to sleep, a symptom with many possible causes rather than a single disease, ranging from insufficient sleep to obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or a circadian rhythm problem.
- SleepIdiopathic HypersomniaA chronic central disorder of hypersomnolence causing persistent excessive daytime sleepiness, and often unusually long, unrefreshing sleep, that is not explained by insufficient sleep, another sleep disorder, or another medical or psychiatric cause.
- SleepInsomniaPersistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early despite adequate opportunity to sleep, occurring often enough and causing enough daytime impact to be a sleep disorder in its own right.
- SleepInsufficient Sleep SyndromePersistent daytime sleepiness caused by a chronic, self-imposed shortfall in total sleep time, the single most common explanation for excessive daytime sleepiness, and the first cause a physician rules out before considering narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia.
- SleepNarcolepsyA chronic neurological sleep disorder that disrupts the brain's normal regulation of sleep and wakefulness, causing persistent excessive daytime sleepiness and, in some patients, cataplexy and other distinctive REM-related symptoms.
- SleepNightmare DisorderThe distinction between occasional nightmares, which are common and not a disorder, and nightmare disorder, recurrent, distressing nightmares that disrupt sleep or cause meaningful daytime distress, along with its common associations and evidence-based treatment.
- SleepNon-24-Hour Sleep-Wake DisorderA circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder in which the internal biological clock runs on a cycle that isn't synchronized to the 24-hour day, so sleep and wake times drift progressively, most commonly and best characterized in people who are totally blind, though it can rarely occur in sighted individuals too.
- SleepObstructive Sleep ApneaA common condition in which the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, causing breathing pauses, fragmented sleep, and daytime symptoms that are often mistaken for ordinary tiredness.
- SleepParasomniasUnwanted, often complex behaviors, movements, or experiences that occur during sleep, at the transitions into or out of sleep, or during arousal from sleep, ranging from sleepwalking and sleep terrors to REM sleep behavior disorder.
- SleepPeriodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)Periodic limb movement disorder involves repetitive leg movements during sleep that disrupt rest and daytime function, distinct from the objective PSG finding of PLMS alone.
- SleepREM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)A parasomnia in which the muscle paralysis that normally accompanies REM sleep is incomplete, allowing a person to physically act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams; confirmed with video-recorded polysomnography and managed around real safety, medication, and long-term monitoring considerations.
- SleepRestless Legs SyndromeA neurological condition causing an uncomfortable, often hard-to-describe urge to move the legs, typically worse at rest and in the evening, and typically relieved, at least temporarily, by movement.
- SleepShift Work Sleep DisorderA circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder caused by working a schedule, night shifts, early-morning shifts, or rotating shifts, that runs against the body's internal clock, producing insomnia during scheduled sleep periods and excessive sleepiness during scheduled work hours.
- SleepSleep-Related BruxismRepeated grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, a common sleep-related movement disorder recognized for its association with jaw pain, headaches, and tooth damage, and, in some patients, with obstructive sleep apnea and certain medications.
- SleepSleepwalking and Confusional Arousals in AdultsSleepwalking and confusional arousals, NREM disorders of arousal that are common and usually benign in children but carry more real safety risk in adults, including their adult triggers, the medications that can provoke them, and when an adult presentation warrants a specialist evaluation.
- SleepSnoringA common noise produced by vibrating tissue in the throat and nasal passages during sleep, usually harmless on its own but sometimes a warning sign of obstructive sleep apnea when it comes with pauses in breathing, gasping, or daytime sleepiness.
Lungs & Breathing
- Lungs & BreathingAcute Pulmonary EmbolismA blood clot, most often traveling from a deep vein in the leg or pelvis, that lodges in the pulmonary arteries and blocks blood flow to part of the lungs, ranging from a small, incidental finding to a life-threatening emergency.
- Lungs & BreathingAlpha-1 Antitrypsin DeficiencyAn inherited condition in which the body doesn't produce enough functional alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that normally shields lung tissue from damage, leading to early-onset emphysema and, in some genotypes, liver disease.
- Lungs & BreathingAsthmaA chronic inflammatory condition of the airways that causes variable, often reversible airflow limitation, producing symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, cough, and shortness of breath that come and go with triggers.
- Lungs & BreathingBronchiectasisBronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition in which the airways become permanently widened and damaged, leading to daily mucus buildup and recurrent respiratory infections.
- Lungs & BreathingChronic CoughA cough lasting longer than eight weeks in adults, with a range of possible underlying causes worth evaluating.
- Lungs & BreathingChronic Respiratory FailureAn overview of chronic respiratory failure (the lungs' sustained inability to maintain adequate oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels), including the hypoxemic vs. hypercapnic distinction, common causes, testing, and management concepts.
- Lungs & BreathingConnective Tissue Disease–Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD)Interstitial lung disease that develops as a manifestation of an underlying autoimmune or rheumatologic condition, most often systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory myopathies, or Sjögren disease, including how it is diagnosed and co-managed with rheumatology.
- Lungs & BreathingCOPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)A common, largely preventable and treatable lung condition marked by persistent airflow limitation that typically worsens gradually over time, distinct from asthma's more variable, reversible pattern.
- Lungs & BreathingCTEPH (Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension)A specific, potentially curable form of pulmonary hypertension caused by unresolved blood clots obstructing the pulmonary arteries, distinct from other forms of pulmonary hypertension because surgery can sometimes cure it.
- Lungs & BreathingEmphysemaA structural pattern of permanent alveolar damage that falls under the broader COPD umbrella, distinct from chronic bronchitis, classically marked by reduced DLCO and hyperinflation on testing.
- Lungs & BreathingEosinophilic AsthmaA recognizable asthma phenotype driven by type 2, eosinophilic airway inflammation, identified through blood eosinophil counts and FeNO testing alongside symptom pattern and exacerbation history, and relevant to whether targeted, phenotype-directed treatment may help.
- Lungs & BreathingExercise-Induced BronchoconstrictionExercise-induced bronchoconstriction is a transient narrowing of the airways triggered by physical exertion, causing cough, wheeze, chest tightness, or breathlessness during or shortly after exercise, and it can occur with or without an underlying asthma diagnosis.
- Lungs & BreathingHypersensitivity PneumonitisAn immune-mediated lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of an antigen in a susceptible person, covering exposure sources, the fibrotic vs. nonfibrotic classification, diagnosis, and management.
- Lungs & BreathingIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)A specific, progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease of unknown cause marked by a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern, distinct from interstitial lung disease as a whole, covering its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Lungs & BreathingInterstitial Lung Disease (ILD)An overview of interstitial lung disease as an umbrella term for over 200 conditions that scar or inflame the lung interstitium, how it differs from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and how it is diagnosed and managed.
- Lungs & BreathingNocturnal HypoxemiaA drop in blood oxygen levels that occurs specifically during sleep, even when daytime oxygen is normal: a finding with several distinct underlying causes, not a single diagnosis and not another name for sleep apnea.
- Lungs & BreathingObesity Hypoventilation SyndromeA distinct condition in which obesity leads to chronic daytime carbon dioxide retention and impaired breathing, related to but not the same as obstructive sleep apnea.
- Lungs & BreathingOccupational Lung DiseaseLung disease caused by inhaling dusts, fibers, or chemicals encountered at work or in the environment over months to years, covering the pneumoconioses (including asbestosis, silicosis, and coal workers' pneumoconiosis), occupational asthma, asbestos exposure specifically, and why a detailed occupational history matters.
- Lungs & BreathingPleural EffusionFluid accumulation in the pleural space, covering the transudative vs. exudative distinction, common causes from heart failure to infection to malignancy, evaluation with imaging and thoracentesis, and management approaches.
- Lungs & BreathingPneumothoraxA collapsed lung caused by air entering the pleural space, covering primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, traumatic and iatrogenic causes, the tension pneumothorax emergency, diagnosis, and management.
- Lungs & BreathingPulmonary HypertensionA condition in which blood pressure is abnormally elevated specifically in the pulmonary arteries, the vessels carrying blood from the heart to the lungs, distinct from ordinary systemic high blood pressure.
- Lungs & BreathingPulmonary NodulesA small, rounded spot in the lung, usually found incidentally on imaging done for another reason. Most pulmonary nodules are not cancer, but evaluation and follow-up are individualized.
- Lungs & BreathingRecurrent PneumoniaPneumonia that keeps coming back, generally defined as two or more episodes in a year or three or more episodes ever, with the lungs clearing between episodes. Unlike a single isolated pneumonia, recurrent pneumonia always warrants a search for an underlying cause.
- Lungs & BreathingSarcoidosisA multisystem inflammatory disease that forms small clusters of immune cells called granulomas, most often in the lungs and chest lymph nodes but potentially in the skin, eyes, heart, and other organs, including chest X-ray staging, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Lungs & BreathingSevere AsthmaA distinct subset of asthma that remains uncontrolled despite optimized high-dose inhaled treatment, confirmed adherence and technique, and management of contributing comorbidities, or that requires high-dose treatment to stay controlled at all.
- Lungs & BreathingShortness of BreathA comprehensive look at shortness of breath (dyspnea), the difference between sudden and gradual onset, the wide range of lung, heart, blood, and sleep-related causes, and how physicians evaluate it, plus the warning signs that call for urgent care.