Respiratory Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

These air sacs make up most of the lung tissue. Lung diseases affecting the alveoli include: Pneumonia: An infection of the alveoli, usually by bacteria. Tuberculosis: A slowly progressive pneumonia caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Chronic respiratory diseases are chronic diseases of the airways and other structures of the lung. Some of the most common are: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, occupational lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension.