What is Emphysema? Professional advice please.?
920826
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a general term for a group of diseases that cause progressive damage to your lungs. These diseases include chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. Of the more than 16 million Americans with COPD, nearly 3 million have symptomatic emphysema and millions more are in the early stages of the disease before signs and symptoms appear.\n\nUnlike asthma, which occurs when the muscles in your airways tighten, emphysema causes a loss of elasticity in the walls of the small air sacs in your lungs. Eventually, the walls stretch and break, creating larger, less efficient air sacs that aren't able to handle the normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.\n\nWhen emphysema is advanced, you must work so hard to expel air from your lungs that breathing can consume up to 20 percent of your resting energy. Unfortunately, because emphysema develops gradually over many years, you may not experience symptoms such as shortness of breath until irreversible damage has already occurred. Treatments focus on relieving symptoms and avoiding complications.\n\nreduced capacity for physical activity, both of which are likely to become worse as the disease progresses. In time, you may have trouble breathing even when lying down, and it may be especially hard to breathe during and after respiratory infections, such as colds or the flu.\n\nOther signs and symptoms of emphysema include:\n\nChronic, mild cough. You may produce sputum or phlegm when you cough. \nLoss of appetite and weight loss. It's a vicious cycle. Emphysema can make eating more difficult, and the act of eating can rob you of your breath. The result is that you simply may not feel like eating much of the time. \nFatigue. You're likely to feel tired both because it's more difficult to breathe and because your body is getting less oxygenWhen you inhale, air travels to your lungs through two major airways called bronchi. Inside your lungs, the bronchi subdivide like the roots of a tree into a million smaller airways (bronchioles) that finally end in clusters of tiny air sacs (alveoli). You have about 300 million air sacs in each lung. Within the walls of the air sacs are tiny blood vessels (capillaries) where oxygen is added to your blood and carbon dioxide — a waste product of metabolism — is removed. The air sac walls also contain elastic fibers that help them expand and contract like small balloons when you breathe.\n\nWhat happens in emphysema\nIn emphysema, inflammation destroys these fragile walls of the air sacs, causing them to lose their elasticity. As a result, the bronchioles collapse, and air becomes trapped in the air sacs, which overstretches them and interferes with your ability to exhale (hyperinflation).\n\nIn time, this overstretching may cause several air sacs to rupture, forming one larger air space instead of many small ones. Because the larger, less-elastic sacs aren't able to force air completely out of your lungs when you exhale, you have to breathe harder to take in enough oxygen and to eliminate carbon dioxide.\n\nThe process works something like this: Normally, you exhale in two ways, actively and passively. When you exert yourself and need more oxygen, your chest muscles contract, forcing air out rapidly. On the other hand, when you sit quietly, your diaphragm contracts and your chest muscles expand to take air in, but your muscles don't actively contract to let the air out. Instead, the elastic tissue around your air sacs contracts, and your lungs passively shrink.\n\nBut if you have emphysema, many of these elastic fibers have been destroyed, and you must consciously force air out of your lungs. The forced exhalation compresses many of your small airways, making expelling air even more difficult.\n\nMost common cause is smoking\nCigarette smoke is by far the most common cause of emphysema. The damage begins when tobacco smoke temporarily paralyzes the microscopic hairs (cilia) that line you
679585
Yes.  COPD includes various lung conditions, such as emphysema, broncheolitis, even asthma is considered COPD. Sarcoidosis also involves airway obstruction that prohibits sufficient exhalation to allow enough inhalation. There are many different lung diseases, many idiopathic, meaning of unknown cause, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. My disease is yet to be diagnosed, and there's a difference of opinion between doctors/hospitals.  If you or someone you know has a breathing problem, do see a doctor ASAP.  In the beginning I was told I had adult onset asthma and emphysema.  I believed that for three years until getting much worse and finally seeking a second opinion.
77942
See a doctor right away, you have a problem with your lungs.  Could be simple, could be more serious but the sooner you start to fix it the better.
1161811
A person with a lung disease or condition go to them for help. My  primary care doc did not know how to handle my asthma it was so out of control. He sent me to a pulmonolgist. I had a work up of tests I was taken off most of my medications and switched to new ones. The new meds were tweaked over several visits. They are very helpful.
1026894
try a gravity bong....keep on smoking...you are keeping me in business as a respiratory therapist!! See you soon with a big tube down your throat....fool
196475
Many years ago my grandmother, who lived in Chicago IL and had emphysema moved to El Paso TX and it really did help her. She was able to enjoy the last 10 years of her life not grasping for every breath.
852960
my aunt had it done 10 years ago.  unfortunately she relies on an oxygen tank and can barely walk up stairs.  She is 60.  Sad, but she has emphysema.. diagnosed at 40.
675875
I'm going to give you a bunch of links for you and your family to pursue.\n\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copdchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.html\n\nhttp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html\n\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/copd/htm/index.htm\n\nhttp://nihseniorhealth.gov/copd/toc.html\n\nhttp://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35015\n\nhttp://www.goldcopd.com/\n\n\nYou'll find loads of important information on these sites, as well as links to other sites.\n\nThere is too much to go into here in even the briefest discussion of COPD.  \n\nI know, because I suffer COPD.  \n\nI wish all the best to you and your dad.
123426
(Cutting and pasting an entire Wikipedia article is just plain lazy.)\n\nThe answer to your question is: No, there is no cure for emphysema, but it is possible to slow down the disease and make it easier to live with the symptoms.\n\nYou can find some information here http://www.lung.ca/diseases/emphysema.html or but entering the word in any search engine.
98110
If you are on home oxygen, following advise from this forum can be dangerous. Please don't try any home remedies, without consulting your physician. \n\nA note to anyone suggesting home remedies for increasing lung capacity. You don't know this persons history, and bad advice can be lethal. Think before you write.
403528
i personally couldnt tell you what it is, you could try taking some gas ex or something simmiler and see if it goes away, or check out my sources and go there, i go there for most of my medical needs and it works for me
592141
A person is not COPD, a person may HAVE COPD. The way the paramed stated it is just the way we talk. It stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  This covers a group of progressive & irreversible conditions that includes asthma, chronic bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  COPD is also sometimes called chronic obstructive lung disease.
531698
MM/ is this it?\nhttp://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=38472
1082939
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis\n\n- pretty sure it's a lung disease caused by volcanic ash. Believe it or not, I spelled this in 3rd grade :). My teacher was looking for the longest word in English to give me and I got it right! Still proud of that one ;) \n\nEDIT: it isn't appearing in full on here for some reason.
457871
Asphyxia is where one person's air supply is being choked off or in the process of BEING choked off. (Not a good thing!)\n\nPeriodic breathing is a condition originating from an earlier medical or physical problem in that person's life where they couldn't breathe normally like they wanted to. (Preemies are a good example. Underdeveloped lungs shortens their ability to breathe normally. So they had to adapt.)\n\nMost people take regular and deep breaths. Shallow breathing is common.
457598
Emphysema falls under the umbrella term of "COPD", which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Other diseases that fall under this umbrella include asthma, chronic bronchitis, etc. \n\nWhen one's breathing is comprimised, that means that they are not getting enough oxygen into their body's tissues. That, in turn, can make the heart try to compensate by working harder to provide more oxygen. So, sometimes this can cause pain for a number of reasons. The alveoli in the lungs of a person with emphysema are not working properly, the heart may be overworking and the nerves may be more hypersensitive to messages of pain.\n\nHowever, if you are concerned, because he has had unremitting chest/neck/arm pain for 3 years, than I think that it is perfectly reasonable to see a cardiologist for an opinion regarding his heart.\n\nI hope this helps.
596462
hi i am real familiar with this disease as i have had it for over 10 yrs now, you need to go to msn groups and join the group for copd, they are a terrific group of people and can help you out with support or web sites that you can visit for info. good luck with your search and remember to take one day at a time, there is no cure for this disease but, you can get better and live a half way normal life.sm