Restrictive Lung Disease
The lungs possess a characteristic property called 'compliance', which facilitates their expansion and contraction. The state in which the ability of compliance is lost is known as restrictive lung disease. In case of people affected by this condition, the lungs may become stiff and are not able to expand properly. Stiffness of the chest wall, weak muscles, or damaged nerves could be responsible for the inability of the lungs to expand fully. The intrinsic or underlying cause of this condition is pulmonary fibrosis, which in turn is a medical condition that is characterized by the scarring of the lungs. The scars spread throughout the tissues and finally are converted into a fibrotic mass. As the tissues become fibrotic, their elasticity is lost. With the increased stiffness in the tissues, the lung function gets adversely affected. This decreases their ability to release oxygen in the bloodstream. Other medical conditions that could contribute to this lung condition include sarcoidosis, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, scoliosis, or neuromuscular diseases.