Various medical conditions such as bronchitis or cystic fibrosis may cause mucus to collect in the lungs. Congestion in the lungs may cause symptoms such as coughing and pain in the chest. The symptoms may become bothersome medications and treatments may help relieve congestion in the lungs.

When a child is short of breath, it can be difficult for him to get the oxygen his body needs to operate correctly. Symptoms may include nostril flaring, grunting and rapid or shallow breaths. MayoClinic.com warns parents to take breathing problems seriously, no matter the cause.

If you are allergic to chocolate, or common ingredients found in chocolate, eating it can make your asthma worse. Asthma is the result of inflammation and swelling in the lungs that restricts your airways, leading to shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest pain.

Strenuous exercise, especially when you are not used to exercising regularly, can cause difficulty breathing. Heavy breathing is the body’s way of delivering more oxygen to the cells. Heavy breathing during exercise is not necessarily cause for concern unless you have an underlying medical problem.

To the parents of newborns, any changes in a baby's respiratory pattern may seem alarming. Although many babies experience brief episodes of rapid breathing, a condition clinically known as tachypnea, this symptom is only rarely a sign of a medical problem.

Tuberculosis can affect many areas of the body, but it most commonly causes disease in the lungs.

There are many different conditions that cause chest pain. When you have chest pain accompanied by shortness of breath, the reason may be an underlying medical condition.

The body needs oxygen to function properly and receives oxygen via the lungs to be metabolized in all cells of the body. Conditions affecting the lungs such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, require oxygen therapy so that the body can get adequate oxygenation.

Anxiety caused by specific asthma medications may lead to an anxiety disorder, states “A Consumer’s Guide to Psychiatric Drugs.” Moreover, asthma medications can exacerbate preexisting anxiety problems.

Pneumonia is a serious illness that occurs due to an infection in the lungs. It can cause a fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, a cough and trouble breathing. In some cases this condition clears up in a few weeks with home treatment.

Albuterol sulfate is a prescription medication indicated to treat or prevent airway constriction in people with asthma. This medication is a bronchodilator, which works by relaxing the bronchial muscles within a patient's airways to allow oxygen to reach the lungs.

Industrial pollution is one of the primary sources of environmental contamination. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution levels rose 14 percent from 1990 to 2008. This trend reflects the amount of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions in the air.