Dr Dulcy on emphysema
HOLES IN LUNGS: SMOKING, POLLUTANTS, DUST AND FUMES ALL CAUSE THIS FATAL DISEASE
Tobacco-related emphysema symptoms usually begin between the ages of 40 and 60.
Emphysema is a lung condition where the air sacs are damaged, leading to shortness of breath. The damage happens to the inner walls of the air sacs, causing them to weaken and rupture — creating large air spaces instead of many small ones.
This reduces the surface area of the lungs and, in turn, the amount of oxygen that reaches your bloodstream. Many people who have emphysema also have chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is inflammation of the tubes that carry air to your lungs (bronchial tubes), which leads to a persistent cough. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema.
When it worsens, emphysema eventually causes shortness of breath, even while you’re at rest. If you have had unexplained shortness of breath for several months, especially if it’s getting worse or it’s interfering with your daily activities, seek urgent medical attention. You can have emphysema for years without noticing any signs or symptoms. To prevent it, don’t smoke or breathe secondhand smoke. Wear a mask if you work with chemical fumes or dust.
CAUSES
The main cause of emphysema is long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including: Tobacco smoke; Marijuana smoke; Air pollution; and Chemical fumes and dust. Rarely, it’s also caused by an inherited deficiency of a protein that protects the elastic structures in the lungs. It’s called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency emphysema.
RISK FACTORS
Smoking: The risk for all types of smokers increases with the number of years and amount of tobacco smoked.
Age: Most people with tobacco-related emphysema begin to experience symptoms of the disease between the ages of 40 and 60.
Exposure to secondhand smoke: Being around secondhand smoke increases the risk of getting emphysema.
Occupational exposure to fumes or dust: If you breathe fumes from certain chemicals, or dust from grain, cotton, wood or mining products, you’re more likely to get emphysema. This risk is even greater if you smoke.
Exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution: Breathing fumes from heating fuel and car exhaust fumes, for instance, also increases risk.
COMPLICATIONS
Collapsed lung (pneumothorax): A collapsed lung is life-threatening because the function of the lungs is already so compromised by the emphysema.
Heart problems: Emphysema can increase the pressure in the arteries that connect the heart and lungs. This can cause a condition called cor pulmonale, in which a section of the heart expands and weakens.
Large holes in the lungs (bullae): Some people with emphysema develop empty spaces in the lungs called bullae. They can be as large as half the lung. In addition to reducing the amount of space available for the lung to expand, giant bullae can increase your risk of pneumothorax.