A person who receives a diagnosis of stage 4 emphysema can live for a decade or more following the diagnosis. The outlook is typically better for those who quit smoking and manage their symptoms well with medication.
Stage 4 is also called very severe emphysema. It can be particularly hard if you're 65 and older because breathing problems are more likely to interfere with basic daily tasks like dressing, cooking, or climbing stairs, and cause symptoms that send you to the hospital.
Once emphysema advances to the severe stage, individuals may lose an average of 9 years of life expectancy. Various treatment options are available, with doctors reserving surgery for the most severe cases. Getting treatment early and quitting smoking can make a difference in a person's outlook.
End-stage, or stage IV, COPD is the final stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Most people reach it after years of living with the disease and the lung damage it causes. As a result, your quality of life is low. You'll have frequent exacerbations, or flares – one of which could be fatal.
Although COPD is terminal, people may not always die of the condition directly, or of oxygen deprivation. Some people with COPD have other medical conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease. In fact, within 5 years of diagnosis, COPD is also an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death.
Life expectancy
A person who receives a diagnosis of stage 4 emphysema can live for a decade or more following the diagnosis. The outlook is typically better for those who quit smoking and manage their symptoms well with medication.
End-stage emphysema, or stage 4 emphysema, can mean living with a decade or more of breathing problems, tiredness, heart problems or other health concerns that impact your ability to live your life to your fullest.
There are people who have lived with stage 4 COPD for many years; upward of 20, so it doesn't have to be a death sentence. With the right combination of daily exercise, no smoking, weight control, meds and not letting yourself get really sick, you may be able to live for a very long time.
Treating Advanced Emphysema
Medications like bronchodilators and inhaled steroids. Pulmonary rehabilitation, a supervised exercise program for people with lung diseases. Supplemental oxygen therapy, which helps maintain healthy oxygen levels in the body.
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.
"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.
The 5-year life expectancy for people with COPD ranges from 40% to 70%, depending on disease severity. This means that 5 years after diagnosis 40 to 70 out of 100 people will be alive. For severe COPD, the 2-year survival rate is just 50%.
Airflow obstruction is associated with increased mortality, even with mild impairment. In mild to moderate COPD, most deaths are due to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, but as COPD severity increases, respiratory deaths are increasingly common.
End-Stage COPD Symptoms & Complications
However, many people have the following symptoms during end-stage COPD as well as in earlier stages of the illness: coughing, wheezing, large amounts of phlegm/mucus, chest tightness, pain, fatigue, insomnia, and/or constipation.
In the final days, the person with COPD may withdraw, not talking, eating, drinking or moving much. There may be changes in the breathing patterns, such as long pauses between breaths. The skin may become pale and cool.
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.
Emphysema is a lung disease that results from damage to the walls of the alveoli in your lungs. A blockage (obstruction) may develop, which traps air inside your lungs. If you have too much air trapped in your lungs, your chest may appear fuller or have a barrel-chested appearance.
Myth 5: If I Have to Go on Oxygen, It Means I'm Dying. People with COPD often fear oxygen therapy, but “many patients can live 10 years or more with oxygen,” Nicolacakis says. COPD patients need oxygen when the oxygen level in their blood is low.
Emphysema and COPD can't be cured, but treatments can help relieve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
The exact length of time you can live with COPD depends on your age, health, and symptoms. 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.
Your physician will help you determine this. However, in general, of those who have end-stage COPD, only half will be alive in two years. Many make the mistake by believing hospice is only care for the last weeks in life. In actuality, patients should come to us when they have a life expectancy of six months or less.
End-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to being in the final stages of the disease. At this stage, you can expect to experience significant shortness of breath even when resting. Because of the degree of lung damage at this stage, you are at high risk for lung infections and respiratory failure.
Which has worse symptoms? Because emphysema is a late stage of COPD, the signs and symptoms are similar. If you have emphysema, you are already experiencing COPD symptoms, though earlier stages of COPD will not have as dramatic an impact as the degree of tissue degeneration is minimal.
There is no cure for emphysema, although it is treatable. Appropriate management can reduce symptoms, improve your quality of life and help you stay out of hospital. influenza vaccination (yearly) and pneumococcal vaccination to protect against certain types of respiratory infection.