Emphysema is one of least understood, incurable lungs disease. Doctors have no clue of why this disease occurs. Diagnoses of this disease is done in the last stages mostly. Even the treatment techniques available are also very few. The patent’s life ends after suffering from gradually increasing shortness of breathe. Smoking is found to be one of the major causes of Emphysema. This article tries to gain further insight.
Inside the lung of a Emphysema patient:
- The organ lungs in a healthy man’s body acts like a filter.
- It separates the oxygen from other harmful gases inhaled by us through the air.
- This process of separation is carried out by small filtration holes in the lungs called alveoli.
- But in the lungs of a Emphysema patient, the alveoli disappear for unknown reasons.
- As a result, the air inhaled by the patient remains unfiltered.
- Harmful gases, especially the carbon dioxide, get trapped in the lungs and makes breathing increasing difficult for the sufferer.
- The disease is irreversible. It means once a person gets this disease, it continuous to get worsen.
- Smoking hastens this process of destruction and makes conditions worse beyond any hope of recovery.
- People with age 60 years and above are prone to this disease.
- This disease is rarely found to be inherited too. When a person gets Emphysema from inheritance, his age group is mostly in between 30-40 years.
- Whether parental smoking is one of the causes of Emphysema through inheritance or not remains to be understood in future.
Symptoms of Emphysema: Doctors are of the opinion that since the causes of Emphysema are not known yet being aware and vigilant about the symptoms of this disease is imperative, especially for the smokers. Some of the symptoms are:
- Loss of weight and appetite
- Chronic coughing or chronic bronchitis
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Reduced capacity for physical activity
- Tiredness
- Chest tightness
