Table of Contents
How does a person get emphysema?
The main cause of emphysema is long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including: Tobacco smoke. Marijuana smoke. Air pollution.
What causes emphysema other than smoking?
Exposure to other inhaled irritants can contribute to emphysema. These include secondhand smoke, air pollution, and chemical fumes or dusts from the environment or workplace. Rarely, a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency can play a role in causing emphysema.
What are the early warning signs of emphysema?
What are symptoms of emphysema?
- Shortness of breath, especially during light exercise or climbing steps.
- Ongoing feeling of not being able to get enough air.
- Long-term cough or “smoker’s cough”
- Wheezing.
- Long-term mucus production.
- Ongoing fatigue.
What is the lifespan of someone with emphysema?
Because most patients aren’t diagnosed until stage 2 or 3, the prognosis for emphysema is often poor, and the average life expectancy is about five years.
What are the top two causes of emphysema?
There are two major known causes of emphysema: Smoking. Most of the time, tobacco is the main culprit. Doctors don’t know exactly how smoking destroys air sac linings, but studies show that smokers are about six times more likely to develop emphysema than are nonsmokers.
What are the dangers of emphysema?
A collapsed lung can be life-threatening in people who have severe emphysema, because the function of their lungs is already so compromised. This is uncommon but serious when it occurs. Heart problems. Emphysema can increase the pressure in the arteries that connect the heart and lungs.
How does emphysema damage the tissue?
Emphysema develops over time and involves the gradual damage of lung tissue, specifically the destruction of the alveoli (tiny air sacs). Gradually, this damage causes the air sacs to rupture and create one big air pocket instead of many small ones. This reduction in the lung surface area traps air in the damaged tissue and prevents oxygen from moving through the bloodstream.
What are the early signs of emphysema?
Early Symptoms of Emphysema. You can have emphysema for years and not know it. But there is one major symptom and it usually starts slowly: shortness of breath.