QUESTION: Now that a cause for some of my shortness of breath has been diagnosed as emphysema, I want to find out all I can about a condition I have never really understood.
Is this considered a rare disease, and is there any hope for any improvement in my condition?
ANSWER: I don't believe that you can classify a disease that affects between one and two million Americans as a rare disease, and it is a problem for an ever increasing number of people.
It generally begins to show its symptoms of increasing breathlessness between 40 to 60 years of age, and may be attributed to both age and obesity by new sufferers of the disease.
Yet a healthy person approaching retirement age should still be able to breathe with ease of a 20 year old, even when in involved in moderate activity such as a brisk walk along level paths.
The causes of emphysema are poorly understood, particularly why certain individuals seem to develop a more severe type of disease than others.
Smoking is definitely linked to the disease in nine out of ten cases.
The walls of the little sacs at the end of the air tubes leading into the lungs (alveoli) lose their elasticity, and cannot contract and force the air out of the sac with each expiration, resulting in trapped air within the lungs.
This lowers the amount of air flowing in and out of the lungs each time a breath is taken and reduces the lungs ability to exhale the carbon dioxide built up in the blood stream by the body's metabolism, as well as reducing the amount of oxygen in freshly inhaled air that can be delivered to the blood stream.
That results in the feeling of being smothered that so many emphysematous patients experience.
There is no cure for this chronic obstructive lung disease, and recurring bacterial and viral infections may aggravate both the disease and its symptoms, leading to the development of an aggravating cough.
The best way to slow the progress of emphysema is to stop smoking once and for all time.
Avoid areas where other smokers may be filling the air with fumes that are truly hazardous to your health.
A supervised exercise program and the prompt treatment of any respiratory infections will also help you reduce the complications of this common illness.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
