| Any discussion of the facts on emphysema must | | | | female population that took up smoking the seventies |
| include the main statement that emphysema belongs | | | | and eighties are aging, emphysema is now becoming |
| to the COPD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) | | | | more prevalent in women as well. The one cause of |
| group of respiratory conditions.COPD disorders cause | | | | emphysema that is not related to smoking or chronic |
| obstruction to the airways and make it difficult to | | | | asthma is occupational exposures. Workers who |
| properly exhale all the carbon dioxide in the lungs. | | | | regularly come in contact with toxic fumes from |
| Smoking is a main contributor and cause of COPD | | | | chemicals (especially in the mining process) are at |
| and emphysema in particular. | | | | risk. |
| Other illnesses in the COPD group of respiratory | | | | If you do not yet have emphysema, quitting smoking or |
| problems are asthma and chronic bronchitis. These | | | | avoiding second-hand smoke will most likely prevent |
| three conditions are seldom present in isolation of each | | | | you from developing it in the future. If you already |
| other and therefore when one is present the other | | | | have this disorder the effects of smoking have |
| two are likely to be present as well. This is why they | | | | already started to take a toll. However, stopping your |
| are grouped together and called Chronic Obstructive | | | | smoking addiction now will hopefully keep it from |
| Pulmonary Disease or COPD. | | | | getting worse. |
| Emphysema causes damage to the air sacs in the | | | | The startling facts on emphysema is that there is no |
| lungs. The natural air sacs in the lungs are called alveoli. | | | | cure, but the symptoms can be treated and lessened |
| As emphysema sets in these sacs become larger and | | | | to a degree. Treatment for emphysema is based on |
| fewer in number. The tissue around them loses its | | | | the severity of symptoms. Some of the treatment |
| elasticity so the sacs cannot expand and retract | | | | options most commonly used are inhalers, medications |
| normally. This causes a decrease in the amount of | | | | (antibiotics, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids), oxygen |
| oxygen and an increase in the levels of carbon dioxide | | | | therapy, and sometimes even lung surgery. |
| in your blood. | | | | Complications such as lung infections and heart |
| Symptoms of emphysema are a chronic cough, a | | | | problems are two of the most significant facts on |
| grayish-blue cast to the skin (from a lack of oxygen), | | | | emphysema. As the condition progresses heart |
| fatigue, dizziness, finding it hard to catch your breath, | | | | problems will follow. Low oxygen levels stimulate the |
| and having difficulty breathing during any type of | | | | heart to pump more blood and it becomes |
| physical exercise. Often there is great discomfort | | | | overworked eventually developing what is called |
| when you eat (because it is hard to breathe with a | | | | congestive heart failure. Frequent infections result from |
| full stomach), so gradually there is loss of appetite, | | | | the inability of the lungs to effectively remove |
| weight loss and lack of energy. Unfortunately, | | | | accumulated mucus. Pneumonia and heart failure are |
| because this condition progresses so slowly, by the | | | | a frequent cause of death in people with emphysema |
| time symptoms appear emphysema is usually | | | | and COPD. |
| already in an advanced stage. | | | | The facts on emphysema are very clear. It is a |
| The facts on emphysema include some very startling | | | | chronic disabling condition. It leads to comorbid |
| statistics. Because emphysema is primarily caused by | | | | conditions such as lung infections and heart failure and |
| smoking, it usually occurs in older adults. Men are 64% | | | | it caused by a smoking addiction. |
| more likely to contract it than women. However, as the | | | | |