In emphysema, the inner walls of the lungs' air sacs (alveoli) are damaged, causing them to eventually rupture. This creates one larger air space instead of many small ones and reduces the surface area available for gas exchange. Emphysema is a lung condition that causes shortness of breath.
Complications of emphysema can include: pneumonia – this is an infection of the alveoli and bronchioles. People with emphysema are more prone to pneumonia. collapsed lung – some lungs develop large air pockets (bullae), which may burst, resulting in lung deflation (also called pneumothorax)
Air pollution, chemical fumes, and dust also can make emphysema worse. Stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines.
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.
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.
The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease sets out the stages of COPD. Generally, the stages are based on a combination of airflow limitation, symptoms, and exacerbations. A doctor can use a breathing test to measure lung capacity. The test measures the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1).
Emphysema develops over time and involves the gradual damage of lung tissue, specifically the destruction of the alveoli (tiny air sacs). Gradually, this damage causes the air sacs to rupture and create one big air pocket instead of many small ones.
Emphysema can't be cured. It's progressive, so over time it will get harder and harder for you to catch your breath. But you might not know you have the disease for the first few years unless your doctor tests your breathing.
When COPD gets worse it is called an exacerbation (ex-zass-er-BAY-shun). During an exacerbation you may suddenly feel short of breath, or your cough may get worse. You may also cough up phlegm, and it may be thicker than normal or an unusual color.
Patients with emphysema often complain of difficulty with initiating and maintaining sleep (3), and objective measurements have demonstrated increased sleep latency, decreased total sleep time, and an increased number of nocturnal arousals (1–4).
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.
Stage 4 emphysema is the most severe stage, in which a person's symptoms may significantly affect their quality of life. Although there is no cure for emphysema, treatments are available to help manage the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
When to use oxygen for emphysema. A doctor may recommend that a person begin using oxygen therapy when their blood oxygen saturation falls below 88% or their blood oxygen level falls below 55 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) at rest.
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.
Emphysema continues to progress even after people stop smoking. However, quitting smoking helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life and life expectancy.
In severe cases of COPD, the condition can actually cause the development of right-sided heart failure. This occurs when low oxygen levels due to COPD cause a rise in blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary hypertension.
Strengthening exercises for the upper body are especially helpful for people with COPD, as they help increase the strength of your respiratory muscles.
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.
Stage 2 COPD life expectancy is 2.2 years.
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.
"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.
Emphysema has no cure, and patients live with severe shortness of breath that makes daily activities like walking or showering difficult.