Emphysema

Emphysema is a type of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Emphysema involves gradual damage of lung tissue, specifically thinning and destruction of the alveoli or air sacs.

What is COPD?

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. “Progressive” means the disease gets worse over time. The disease is increasingly common, affecting millions of Americans, and is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. The good news is that COPD is often preventable and treatable.

COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants—such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust—also may contribute to COPD.

COPD

Outlook

COPD is a major cause of disability. Millions of people are diagnosed with COPD. Many more people may have the disease and not even know it.

COPD develops slowly. Symptoms often worsen over time and can limit your ability to do routine activities. Severe COPD may prevent you from doing even basic activities like walking, cooking, or taking care of yourself.

Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged or older adults. The disease isn’t passed from person to person—you can’t catch it from someone else.

COPD has no cure yet, and doctors don’t know how to reverse the damage to the airways and lungs. However, treatments and lifestyle changes can help you feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease.

Preventing COPD

           COPD Risk Factors

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It increases your risk of both developing and dying from COPD. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of COPD cases are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked; male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked.

Other risk factors for COPD include:

  • Exposure to air pollution
  • Breathing secondhand smoke
  • Working with chemicals, dust and fumes
  • A genetic condition called Alpha-1 deficiency
  • A history of childhood respiratory infection

          5 Steps to Reduce Your Risk for COPD

If you are concerned about getting COPD, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

The American Lung Association provides a variety of COPD management tools that can be found here: http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/living-with-copd/copd-management-tools.html

Content provided by the website for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov), and the American Lung Association (http://www.lung.org/)