Skip banner links and go to contentU.S. Department of Health & Human Services * National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:  Diseases and Conditions Index
Tell us what you think about this site
  Enter keywords to search this site. (Click here for Search Tips)  
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health Diseases and Conditions Index NIH Home NHLBI Home About This Site NHLBI Home NHLBI Home Link to Spanish DCI Tell us what you think
 DCI Home: Lung Diseases: LAM: Signs & Symptoms

      Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Skip navigation and go to content
What Is ...
Causes
Who Is At Risk
Signs & Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatments
Living With
Key Points
Links
 

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of LAM?

The uncontrolled growth of LAM cells and their effect on nearby body tissues causes the signs and symptoms of LAM. The most common signs and symptoms are:

  • Shortness of breath, especially during activity. At first, shortness of breath may occur only during high-energy activities. Over time, you may have trouble breathing even during simple activities, such as dressing and showering.
  • Chest pain or aches. This pain may be worse when you breath in.
  • Frequent cough. This may occur with bloody phlegm (a sticky fluid).
  • Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe).

Other signs and symptoms of LAM include:

  • Pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. This condition can occur if lung cysts rupture through the lining of a lung. Air that collects in the space between the lung and chest wall must be removed to reinflate the lung.
  • Pleural effusions. This condition can occur if bodily fluids collect in the space between the lung and the chest wall. Often the fluid contains a milky substance called chyle. The excess fluid in the chest may cause shortness of breath because the lung has less room to expand.
  • Blood in the urine. This sign may occur in women who have kidney tumors called angiomyolipomas.
  • Enlarged lymph nodes. These usually occur in the abdomen or the chest. Very rarely, enlarged lymph nodes may occur in locations where they can be felt, such as the neck or under the arms.
  • Abdominal swelling, sometimes with pain.
  • Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet.

Other diseases also can cause many of these signs and symptoms. It's important to see your doctor and find out what's causing these problems.


Who Is At RiskPrevious  NextDiagnosis


Email this Page Email all Sections Print all Sections Print all Sections of this Topic


Skip bottom navigation and go back to top
Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Blood Diseases | Heart and Blood Vessel Diseases | Lung Diseases | Sleep Disorders
NHLBI Privacy Statement | NHLBI Accessibility Policy
NIH Home | NHLBI Home | DCI Home | About DCI | Search
About NHLBI | Contact NHLBI

Note to users of screen readers and other assistive technologies: please report your problems here.