How do I know if I have early emphysema?

The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually. You may start avoiding activities that cause you to be short of breath, so the symptom doesn't become a problem until it starts interfering with daily tasks. Emphysema eventually causes shortness of breath even while you're at rest.

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Can emphysema be cured if caught early?

Emphysema is usually caused by cigarette smoking. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed using medications and adjustments to lifestyle. If you have shortness of breath or a long-term productive cough (a cough that produces mucus or phlegm), see your doctor for a lung function test.

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How do you know if you have mild emphysema?

Emphysema is a lung disease. The main cause of emphysema is smoking, but other causes include air pollution and chemical fumes. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue. Your healthcare provider can diagnose emphysema through imaging and breathing tests.

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What is Stage 1 mild emphysema?

When a person has stage 1 COPD, their symptoms may be so mild that they do not even realize that they have it. Over time, symptoms can include shortness of breath, chronic cough, and frequent respiratory infections. These will generally become more severe as the condition progresses.

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Can you live 10 years with emphysema?

Especially if your COPD is diagnosed early, if you have mild stage COPD, and your disease is well managed and controlled, you may be able to live for 10 or even 20 years after diagnosis.

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Advice for persons who have early symptoms of COPD

24 related questions found

Can you live 20 years with mild emphysema?

But the condition can be controlled. People with mild emphysema who quit smoking have a normal life expectancy. Those who adopt good health habits can enjoy a fairly normal lifestyle for a long time. Even people whose emphysema is severe have a good chance of surviving for five years or more.

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How serious is early emphysema?

How Serious Is Your Emphysema? Stage 1 is also called mild emphysema. But that doesn't mean your disease is mild. You could have significant lung damage before you even notice the breathing problems of stage 1, especially if you're relatively young and otherwise healthy.

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How long can you have emphysema without knowing?

It's possible to have emphysema for many years without noticing any symptoms. This is because symptoms usually begin gradually, and we have been designed to have more lung function than we need. Eventually enough of the lung becomes damaged and symptoms will begin to appear.

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Is walking good for mild emphysema?

Further, by stretching muscles that are not regularly used, including the breathing muscles, everyday activities such as walking will become easier and lung function will improve. While exercise may seem overwhelming at first, even walking at a very slow pace will benefit your overall quality of life.

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What is the average age of onset of emphysema?

Pulmonary emphysema usually occurs at 60 to 80 years of age, and is defined as being early-onset when the disease develops before 55 years of age (1). Not surprisingly, early-onset pulmonary emphysema is a rare condition.

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How fast does emphysema progress?

Emphysema usually progresses slowly and the majority of patients do not notice the changes in their breathing. Some patients do experience a faster onset of symptoms, though that is less common.

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How do you stop emphysema from progressing?

If you have emphysema, you can take a number of steps to halt its progression and to protect yourself from complications: Stop smoking. This is the most important measure you can take for your overall health and the only one that might halt the progression of emphysema.

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What can be mistaken for emphysema?

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are lung conditions that fall under the term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Some of the symptoms are similar, such as shortness of breath and wheezing, but they are different conditions.

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Does exercise help emphysema?

Strengthening exercises for the upper body are especially helpful for people with COPD, as they help increase the strength of your respiratory muscles.

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Can emphysema stay mild?

To answer your question, yes COPD progresses, whether it's mild, moderate, severe or very severe. The caveat is that it depends on how you look at it.

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How long can you live with emphysema if you keep smoking?

Studies suggest that those with stage one or two (mild and moderate) COPD who smoke lose a few years of life expectancy at the age of 65. For those with stages three or four (severe and very severe) COPD, they lose from six to nine years of life expectancy due to smoking.

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Can you have emphysema and not smoke?

Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema, but many other things can also cause it. Exposure to chemicals, exposure to secondhand smoke, both indoor and outdoor pollution, and respiratory infections can also cause emphysema.

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Can lungs heal after 40 years of smoking?

While lung tissue cells do regenerate, there's no way a smoker can return to having the lungs of a non-smoker. At best, they will carry a few scars from their time smoking, and at worst, they're stuck with certain breathing difficulties for the rest of their lives.

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Do you need treatment for mild emphysema?

The goal of therapy for emphysema is to provide relief of symptoms, prevent complications and slow the progression of the disease. Quitting smoking is also essential for patients with emphysema, since continuing to use tobacco will only further damage the lungs.

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What causes early onset emphysema?

Emphysema, a pathological hallmark of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is characterized by the enlargement and destruction of alveoli in result of cell death and loss of elastic recoil. Typically, its onset before the fifth decade of life is attributed to alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic condition.

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Can you live to 90 with emphysema?

"It's not a death sentence by any means. Many people will live into their 70s, 80s, or 90s with COPD.” But that's more likely, he says, if your case is mild and you don't have other health problems like heart disease or diabetes.

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Is Stage 2 emphysema serious?

How Serious Is Your Emphysema? Stage 2 is also called moderate emphysema. But that doesn't always mean that your disease is moderate. If you're young and otherwise healthy, you could have severe lung damage and still be at stage 2.

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Does emphysema get worse quickly?

Emphysema gets worse over time. You cannot undo the damage to your lungs. Over time, you may find that: You get short of breath even when you do things like get dressed or fix a meal.

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