Dr. Michael Patrick Simons MD

What Is Pneumonia?Pneumonia is a tenderness or inflammation of the lung, upsetting the air sacs (alveoli) predominantly. It is normally caused by infectious elements such as bacteria and viruses. Risk components of pneumonia are comprised of other lung-linked diseases, such as COPD, asthma, heart...

What is a persistent cough?It can be annoying to have a cough that lasts for more than a couple of weeks. A cough is considered chronic or persistent if it does not go away after four weeks in children and eight weeks in adults. However, most persistent coughs are due to colds, flu, infection, or...

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease that is caused by a defect in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The CFTR protein is responsible for controlling the transportation of salt in and out of cells. Any mutations in the CFTR gene can cause an imbalance in the...

As a firefighter, Wes Loucks received countless emergency phone calls throughout his 32 years of service for the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau. After retiring, he received a personal call for help from his own family. His two grandsons were both born with cystic fibrosis (CF), a chronic genetic...

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s healthy cells, tissues, and organs. The inflammation can damage the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, and blood vessels.Normally, the body’s immune system produces antibodies. These antibodies protect and fight...

IntroductionEvery time you inhale, air enters your nose and mouth, and then flows down the throat through the air passageways called as bronchial tubes. For the air to reach the lungs, these passageways need to be open. To transport the oxygen to the tissues of the body, oxygen is passed into the...