Forson's Breath

Forson's Breath (also known as Lung Failure, Heir's Hurdle, and Short Breath) is a lasting disease characterized by the progressive failing of lung's functions. The disease's first name was named after the intense study of a Gilnean man by the name of Adol Forson, who suffered from the disease, many years ago. Persons inflicted with the disease tend to have coughs, fatigue, shortened lifespans.

History
before becoming known as Forson's Breath, the disease still lingered as a ailment known by many names. It became especially known by court physicians due to the disease's tendency to strike the heirs of noblemen or the noblemen themselves at venerable ages. Before the study of Adol Forson, many professionals could not come to agreement in terms of what the disease actually was, with many stating that it was either a necromantic curse or a wasting disease caused by the person's sins.

With the study of Adol Forson came the widespread adoption of the disease's most known name as well as almost universal agreement to what the disease was. That being a disease by which the person likely is born with.

Today, the disease continues to strike. With not a prevalent disease, some physicians devote their professional careers to finding the exact cause and cure for the ailment.

Symptoms and Mortality Rate
Symptoms of Forson's Breath are often progressive, though will not know until another ailment, most often the common flu, will let the condition worsen to the point of it becoming known by the patient. Most often, it strikes at either the very young or the very old. Typical symptoms include shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, wet cough (cough that often includes the expulsion of mucus), spiking fevers, headaches, and chest pain. In later progressive stages, the person may be prone to difficulty breathing, shakes (convulsions), and death.

Many sufferers of the disease usually die within a few years due to complications. If it is caught early, the disease can be managed to extend the life of the person to as much as ten years before their death. The longest recorded time a person has had the disease is fourteen years.

Transmission
While it isn't exactly known what causes the disease, many agree that it does not spread through the air, water, or food supply. Recently, some doctors have placed blame on inbreeding, though many disagree as to what degree the inbreeding has to be in order to place blame.

So far, there have been recorded cases among human, dwarvish, High elven, gnomish, worgen, and orcish populations, though the disease tends to affect humans the most.