Question

Timothy has been having difficulty breathing since he had pneumonia last month. Recently he had severe pain in his chest and back, and his breathing was extremely irregular. The doctor at the emergency room told him that one of the lobes of his lung had collapsed. How could this happen?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Now that Pneumonia is a dangerous disease that affects the lungs of an individual, often result in frequent coughing.

Since the doctor told him that one of the lobes of his lung had collapsed it seems likely that he was referring to the enclosure that covers the surface of his lungs called the visceral pleura was affected by air entering into it because of his frequent cough.

Answer 2

Timothy suffered atelectasis, or lung collapse, most likely caused by air entering the pleural cavity due to a rupture of the visceral pleura.

The collapse of the one of the lobe of his lung could have happened as a result of coughing during his bout with pneumonia.