What Causes Emphysema?

Information About Emphysema

Emphysema is a severe lung disease that affects millions of people each year. Emphysema causes shortness of breath and reduces your ability to take part in physical activities. Smoking is what causes emphysema most often. But not all people who contract it are smokers.

what causes emphysema Emphysema causes damage to the small air sacs and the tiny airways in the lungs. This damage will obstruct the airways when you breathe, blocking breathing and making it difficult to breathe and painful to exhale.

Emphysema is a progressive disease, which means it gets worse over time. The longer you have it, especially if untreated and if you continue to smoke, the worse it will get.

As emphysema progresses through its stages (see below), the person will have to work very hard to be able to breathe out. Expelling air can become a difficult task in the final stages of emphysema. Since it develops through a series of stages over time, many people don’t notice significant emphysema's signs and symptoms until the disease has already progressed beyond repair.

What are the stages of emphysema? There are four stages of emphysema:

At-risk. Signs and symptoms would be characterized by a chronic cough and sputum production.
Mild emphysema Signs and symptoms might include a mild reduction of airflow a chronic cough and some sputum production.
Moderate emphysema signs and symptoms are characterized by a noticeable reduction in airflow and shortness of breath when working hard, walking fast, or doing other mildly strenuous activity. At this stage of emphysema, a person usually often begins to feel the need to see a doctor.
Final The final stage of emphysema is characterized by severe airflow and breathing limitations. Complications like respiratory failure or signs of heart failure may even develop. Quality of life can be greatly greatly reduced and the condition may even be life threatening.

Information about emphysema signs and symptoms What are some signs and symptoms of emphysema?

The most obvious signs and symptoms are usually shortness of breath and a reduced ability for physical activity. Other emphysema signs and symptoms may include a

chronic mild cough,
loss of appetite,
weight loss, and
fatigue.

Signs and symptoms of emphysema will worsen over time. At the first suspicious sign or symptom, you should seek the assistance of a medical professional. There are certain tests that can be performed to help determine if you may be suffering from emphysema and also to see what kind of damage there is to the lungs.

Is there a cure for emphysema At the current time, there is no cure for emphysema.There is only prevention and treatment to relieve the symptoms of emphysema.

The more information about emphysema and emphysema causes you learn, the more likely it is that you'll be able to avoid this severe lung disease. If you have questions or concerns about emphysema, or would like more information about emphysema and lung function, speak with a qualified health professional right away to learn more about how you can improve your lung health and quality of life.

There are certain circumstances that can increase your risk factor of obtaining emphysema. Some of these risk factors include age (those 50-60 may first experience tobacco-related symptoms), exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to certain indoor and outdoor pollutants, and exposure to chemical fumes from your job, hereditary exposure (if someone in your family has emphysema), HIV infection and certain connective tissue disorders.

If you are at risk and then experience shortness of breath, frequent breathing trouble and difficulty with physical activity, it is important to see your doctor for a series of tests to determine the cause and possible treatment if you do have emphysema.

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