Maouidi

Pneumology

Pneumology: the cough that stayed, the breath that went short

Pneumology starts where patience with a cough ends: a passing cold is treated by a GP, but a cough past three weeks, breathlessness that keeps returning, or a wheeze that comes back every season belongs with a lung specialist. Added to that is a field people often overlook entirely: breathing disorders during sleep.

What this specialist handles

  • Chronic cough, beyond three weeks.
  • Asthma: diagnosis, getting treatment balanced, and follow-up of attacks.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly in smokers and former smokers.
  • Breathlessness on effort or at rest.
  • Snoring with daytime sleepiness, and sleep apnoea.
  • Follow-up after tuberculosis, and occupational exposure to dust and inhaled materials.

When to book

  • A cough lasting more than three weeks, in adults or children.
  • Repeated chest infections within the same year.
  • A wheeze or chest tightness that returns with the season or with effort.
  • Heavy snoring with daytime sleepiness despite enough hours in bed.
  • An abnormal chest X-ray taken for another reason.

What the visit looks like

After the history and listening to your chest, a spirometry test is often requested: you blow into a device that measures how much air you move and how fast. It is not painful but it needs cooperation, and it is sometimes repeated after a bronchodilator so the two readings can be compared.

Bring your X-rays and earlier tests, and bring your inhaler devices themselves rather than only their names: how you use the device is part of the assessment, and many so-called resistant cases turn out to be a matter of technique rather than of medicine.

Booking on Maouidi

  1. Install the Maouidi app on Android and create an account with your phone number.

  2. Search by specialty, then filter by wilaya.

  3. Open the practitioner or clinic profile: address, services, and how they take bookings.

  4. Pick your slot. Some practitioners work in fixed time slots, others hand out queue numbers for the day — the app shows which one each of them uses.

  5. Confirm. The appointment appears in the app, together with your queue number if the practitioner works that way.

  6. Turn up at the time or the number shown. Consultations are paid at the clinic. If something comes up, cancel in the app ahead of time so the place goes to someone else.

Some breathing tests require pausing certain treatments a few hours beforehand. Never stop a treatment on your own initiative — ask the practice when you book whether the test is planned for the same day and what instructions come with it.

Get the app

Common questions

What is spirometry?

A test where you blow hard into a mouthpiece connected to a device that measures air volume and flow. It is painless, takes a few minutes, and is sometimes repeated after a bronchodilator for comparison.

Should I stop my inhaler before the appointment?

Do not stop any treatment on your own. Some tests require a temporary pause, but only the practice can tell you that, when you book or shortly before.

When does breathlessness become an emergency?

Sudden severe breathlessness, lips turning blue, or coughing up blood: do not wait for an appointment — go for emergency care.

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