Emphysema is commonly known as chronic bronchitis. It is also, a respiratory disease which affects the lungs very badly. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is also make up by emphysema. In this disease air in the lungs got obstructed. Smoking is the main cause of this disease along with many other causes or sometime the cause will be known also.
It is caused when alveoli, the very small air sacs start to break down from many sacs to form a bigger sacat the end of the airways in the lungs. If someone has emphysema they find breathing difficult while running and exercising and may have a chronic cough. Prevention of this disease is quitting smoking and be in the fresh air as much as possible.
What are the early signs of emphysema?
There are so many reasons which can cause emphysema like frequent lung infection, wheezing, a lot of mucus, reduce appetite and weight loss, fatigue, anxiety and depression, and sleep problems. The U.S is the ca country which is highly affected by this disease as 3.5 million or 1.5 percent of the population diagnosed with emphysema. A number of death occurs by this disease are 7,455 or 2.3 people in every one lakh.
What are the key points of emphysema?
A huge cause of this disease is cigarette smoking and the signs are coughing and shortness of breath. A person can be diagnosed with this disease by doctors by measuring lung function and lung capacity.
Treatment includes an inhaler, respiratory assistance, and possibly surgery but treatment does not promise or halt reverse lung damage but it can prevent early damages. Also the vaccination prevents another disease to be caused along with emphysema. Along with these things drugs also help to somehow cure or to prevent its severances and some of the inhalers include beta-agonist which relax smooth muscle and mucociliary clearance. These drugs can help to prevent allergies if used on a daily basis as these are short-acting and long-acting drugs which somehow can be combined. With all these treatments an oxygen treatment is also advised and it can be done or administered 24 hours a day or 12 hours at night.
What is a lung function test?
It is a test run to know the existence of emphysema as this test is done to know the capacity of lung whether it’s able to exchange respiratory gases smoothly. This test includes blowing as fast as the patient can in the tube and that tube is attached to a machine which measures the level or volume and the speed of air blown out.