Emphysema is a lung disease that involves damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The air sacs are unable to completely deflate, and are therefore unable to fill with fresh air to ensure adequate oxygen supply to the body.
Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of emphysema. Tobacco smoke and other pollutants are thought to cause the release of chemicals from within the lungs that damage the walls of the air sacs. This damage becomes worse over time, affecting the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.
30 Symptoms of emphysema include shortness of breath; chronic cough with or without sputum production; wheezing and decreased ability ability to exercise. Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease include: anxiety; unintentional weight loss; ankle, feet, and leg swelling; and fatigue.
Smoking cessation is the most important and effective treatment. Quitting smoking can stop the progression of lung damage once it has started. Medications used to improve breathing include bronchodilators (hand-held inhaler or nebulizer), diuretics and corticosteroids. Antibiotics may be prescribed when respiratory infections occur. Influenza (flu) vaccines and Pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine) are recommended for people with emphysema.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the main airways in the lungs that continues for a long period of time or keeps coming back. Cigarette smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis. The more a person smokes, the more likely the person will develop severe bronchitis. Secondhand smoke may also cause chronic bronchitis. Air pollution, infection and allergies make chronic bronchitis worse.
Symptoms include a cough that produces mucus (sputum), which may be blood streaked; shortness of breath aggravated by exertion or mild activity; frequent respiratory infections that worsen symptoms; wheezing; fatigue; ankle, foot and leg swelling that affects both sides; and headaches.
Chronic bronchitis is one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma as a group are a leading cause of death in the U.S.
Symptoms include a cough that produces mucus (sputum), which may be blood streaked; shortness of breath aggravated by exertion or mild activity; frequent respiratory infections that worsen symptoms; wheezing; fatigue; ankle, foot and leg swelling that affects both sides; and headaches.
Chronic bronchitis is one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma as a group are a leading cause of death in the U.S.
How is COPD Treated?
There is no cure for COPD. Damage to your airways and lungs cannot be reversed, but there are things you can do to feel better. COPD symptoms can be managed and damage to the lungs can be slowed. The most important thing you can do to slow the progress of the disease is to quit smoking. Your doctor may recommend treatments to relieve your symptoms and there are things you can do to live better with the disease. The goals of COPD treatment are to:
• Relieve symptoms with no or minimal side effects of treatment
• Slow the progress of the disease
• Improve the ability to stay active and exercise
• Prevent any complications from the disease
• Improve health overall
Treatment for each person is different and is based on whether symptoms are mild, moderate or severe. There are a variety of treatments that can help reduce symptoms and manage complications, including:
• Bronchodilators - medications that work by relaxing the muscles around your airways, opening them and making it easier to breathe. They can last either 4-6 hours or 12 hours, depending on the type. Most are inhaled directly into the lungs with the use of an inhaler.
• Inhaled steroids - used for some people with moderate or severe COPD to reduce the inflammation or swelling in the airways.
• Vaccines - it is recommended that you get a pneumococcal vaccine to prevent pneumonia and an annual flu shot to avoid any breathing complications.
• Pulmonary or lung rehabilitation (rehab) - helps you stay active despite your COPD. It includes exercise training, nutrition advice and education about managing the disease. A custom pulmonary rehab program is managed by a multidisciplinary team (doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists, dietitians).
• Oxygen therapy - for severe COPD and low levels of oxygen in the blood. Using extra oxygen can help you perform tasks or activities with less shortness of breath, protect
the heart and other organs from damage, improve the quality and duration of your sleep, improve your alertness during the day and help you live longer.
• Surgery - is usually done for patients who have severe symptoms, have not improved with medications and have a hard time breathing most of the time. There are two types of surgery for COPD: a bullectomy, which removes a large air sac that may compress a good lung, or a lung transplant.
The goal of COPD treatment is to prevent or minimize the progression of the disease. During a disaster or emergency situation it may be difficult to follow all treatment recommendations. Stopping treatments may increase the frequency or severity of breathing difficulties. You may also become overly tired and eventually require hospitalization. You should also call your doctor if you have sudden chest tightness, more coughing, a change in your sputum or fever.
This could signal a lung infection. It is important that all treatment recommendations be followed to the best of your ability in order to maintain lung function, prevent further lung damage and maintain your quality of life.
• Relieve symptoms with no or minimal side effects of treatment
• Slow the progress of the disease
• Improve the ability to stay active and exercise
• Prevent any complications from the disease
• Improve health overall
Treatment for each person is different and is based on whether symptoms are mild, moderate or severe. There are a variety of treatments that can help reduce symptoms and manage complications, including:
• Bronchodilators - medications that work by relaxing the muscles around your airways, opening them and making it easier to breathe. They can last either 4-6 hours or 12 hours, depending on the type. Most are inhaled directly into the lungs with the use of an inhaler.
• Inhaled steroids - used for some people with moderate or severe COPD to reduce the inflammation or swelling in the airways.
• Vaccines - it is recommended that you get a pneumococcal vaccine to prevent pneumonia and an annual flu shot to avoid any breathing complications.
• Pulmonary or lung rehabilitation (rehab) - helps you stay active despite your COPD. It includes exercise training, nutrition advice and education about managing the disease. A custom pulmonary rehab program is managed by a multidisciplinary team (doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists, dietitians).
• Oxygen therapy - for severe COPD and low levels of oxygen in the blood. Using extra oxygen can help you perform tasks or activities with less shortness of breath, protect
the heart and other organs from damage, improve the quality and duration of your sleep, improve your alertness during the day and help you live longer.
• Surgery - is usually done for patients who have severe symptoms, have not improved with medications and have a hard time breathing most of the time. There are two types of surgery for COPD: a bullectomy, which removes a large air sac that may compress a good lung, or a lung transplant.
The goal of COPD treatment is to prevent or minimize the progression of the disease. During a disaster or emergency situation it may be difficult to follow all treatment recommendations. Stopping treatments may increase the frequency or severity of breathing difficulties. You may also become overly tired and eventually require hospitalization. You should also call your doctor if you have sudden chest tightness, more coughing, a change in your sputum or fever.
This could signal a lung infection. It is important that all treatment recommendations be followed to the best of your ability in order to maintain lung function, prevent further lung damage and maintain your quality of life.
How do Doctors Diagnose COPD?
Your doctor will diagnose COPD by examining you, listening to your lungs, asking you questions about your medical history and what lung irritants you may have been around for long periods of time. Your doctor may also use a spirometer measure how much air your lungs can hold and how fast you can blow air out of your lungs. Based on this test, your doctor can determine if you have COPD and how severe it is. Your doctor may also order a chest X-ray and an arterial blood gas test. The blood test shows the oxygen level in the blood to see if oxygen treatment is needed.
What Causes COPD?
COPD usually develops slowly over time. Symptoms may develop when an individual is breathing in fumes, dusts and other irritants that damage the lungs and airways over a long period of time. Smoking tobacco (cigarettes, cigars and pipes) is the most common cause of COPD. Most people with COPD are smokers or have been smokers in the past.
Individuals who have worked many years around certain kinds of chemicals and breathed in the fumes, worked in a dusty area or have had heavy exposure to air pollution may also develop COPD. In rare cases, COPD is caused by a gene-related disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. People with the alpha 1 antitrypsin protein in their blood may experience lung damage and COPD. If people with this condition smoke, the disease progresses more rapidly. If you smoke, the most important thing you can do to prevent more lung damage is to stop smoking. It is also important to stay away from people who smoke and places where you know there will be smokers.
Individuals who have worked many years around certain kinds of chemicals and breathed in the fumes, worked in a dusty area or have had heavy exposure to air pollution may also develop COPD. In rare cases, COPD is caused by a gene-related disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. People with the alpha 1 antitrypsin protein in their blood may experience lung damage and COPD. If people with this condition smoke, the disease progresses more rapidly. If you smoke, the most important thing you can do to prevent more lung damage is to stop smoking. It is also important to stay away from people who smoke and places where you know there will be smokers.
What are the Symptoms of COPD?
The symptoms of COPD include a cough that does not go away, coughing up sputum (mucus), shortness of breath (especially with exercise), wheezing or a whistling sound when you breathe, tightness in the chest and fatigue (tiredness). These symptoms often start years before the flow of air in and out of the lungs is reduced. Not everyone who has a cough and sputum will develop COPD later in life.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a range of other lung disorders. These disorders are characterized by obstruction of airflow that interferes with normal breathing. In COPD, the airways that carry air in and out of your lungs become partially blocked, making it difficult to get air in and out. COPD is a major cause of death and illness throughout the world and is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
How is Asthma Treated?
There’s no cure for asthma, but the condition can usually be managed and flare-ups can be prevented. Asthma is treated in two ways, by avoiding potential triggers and with medication.
Avoiding triggers that make asthma symptoms worse is important. They can’t always be avoided (like catching a cold), but you can control your exposure to some triggers such as pet dander, for example.
Each person with asthma is treated differently because each person has a different severity level and a different set of triggers. There are a variety of treatment medications doctors can choose from. Most asthma medications are inhaled (which means that a person takes the medication by breathing it into the lungs), but asthma medications can also take the form of pills or liquids. They fall into two categories:
• Rescue medications - are taken as needed and act quickly to halt asthma symptoms once they start.
• Controller medications - prevent symptoms from occurring in the first place.
Many people with asthma need to take medication every day to control the condition overall. Controller medications (also called “preventive” or “maintenance” medications) work differently from rescue medications. They treat the problem of airway inflammation instead of the symptoms (coughing, wheezing, etc.) that it causes. Controller medications are slow acting and can take days or even weeks to begin working. Although you may not notice them working in the same way as rescue medications, regular use of controller medications should lessen your need for the rescue medications. Doctors also prescribe controller medications as a way to minimize any permanent lung changes that may be associated with having asthma.
The best way to control asthma is prevention. Although medications can play an essential role in preventing flare-ups, environmental control is also very important. Here are some things you can do to help prevent coming into contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your asthma flare-ups:
• Keep your environment clear of potential allergens.
• Pay attention to the weather and take precautions when you know weather or air pollution conditions may affect you. You may need to stay indoors or limit your exercise to indoor activities.
• Don’t smoke (or if you’re a smoker, quit). Smoking is a bad habit, especially for someone who has asthma.
• Exercise, but be careful. If you’re prone to exercise-induced asthma attacks, talk to your doctor about how to manage your symptoms.
Preventing asthma symptoms may be difficult to do during an emergency situation. A disaster can stir up a variety of irritants into the air. Take precautions by attempting to avoid areas (outdoors or indoors) where there are high levels of irritants. Wearing a dust mask may also help to cut down on exposure. It is also important that prescribed medications be continued. Interrupting or stopping medications can cause an increase in airway inflammation, leading to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and more frequent asthma attacks. Overuse of fast acting or relief medications can also cause them to lose their effectiveness.
Avoiding triggers that make asthma symptoms worse is important. They can’t always be avoided (like catching a cold), but you can control your exposure to some triggers such as pet dander, for example.
Each person with asthma is treated differently because each person has a different severity level and a different set of triggers. There are a variety of treatment medications doctors can choose from. Most asthma medications are inhaled (which means that a person takes the medication by breathing it into the lungs), but asthma medications can also take the form of pills or liquids. They fall into two categories:
• Rescue medications - are taken as needed and act quickly to halt asthma symptoms once they start.
• Controller medications - prevent symptoms from occurring in the first place.
Many people with asthma need to take medication every day to control the condition overall. Controller medications (also called “preventive” or “maintenance” medications) work differently from rescue medications. They treat the problem of airway inflammation instead of the symptoms (coughing, wheezing, etc.) that it causes. Controller medications are slow acting and can take days or even weeks to begin working. Although you may not notice them working in the same way as rescue medications, regular use of controller medications should lessen your need for the rescue medications. Doctors also prescribe controller medications as a way to minimize any permanent lung changes that may be associated with having asthma.
The best way to control asthma is prevention. Although medications can play an essential role in preventing flare-ups, environmental control is also very important. Here are some things you can do to help prevent coming into contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your asthma flare-ups:
• Keep your environment clear of potential allergens.
• Pay attention to the weather and take precautions when you know weather or air pollution conditions may affect you. You may need to stay indoors or limit your exercise to indoor activities.
• Don’t smoke (or if you’re a smoker, quit). Smoking is a bad habit, especially for someone who has asthma.
• Exercise, but be careful. If you’re prone to exercise-induced asthma attacks, talk to your doctor about how to manage your symptoms.
Preventing asthma symptoms may be difficult to do during an emergency situation. A disaster can stir up a variety of irritants into the air. Take precautions by attempting to avoid areas (outdoors or indoors) where there are high levels of irritants. Wearing a dust mask may also help to cut down on exposure. It is also important that prescribed medications be continued. Interrupting or stopping medications can cause an increase in airway inflammation, leading to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and more frequent asthma attacks. Overuse of fast acting or relief medications can also cause them to lose their effectiveness.
How do Doctors Diagnose Asthma?
In diagnosing asthma, the doctor will study your medical history and also perform a physical exam. Your doctor may perform some tests including spirometry and peak flow meter tests. These tests measure how well your lungs are performing. Your doctor may also recommend allergy tests to see if allergies are causing your symptoms or special exercise tests to see whether your asthma symptoms may be brought on by physical activity.
What Causes Asthma?
The exact cause of asthma is not known, but it is believed to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. It isn’t contagious. Asthma symptoms can be triggered by many things. What causes symptoms in one person might not bother another at all. The following are some of the common triggers:
• Allergens
• Airborne irritants and pollutants
• Exercise
• Weather
• Respiratory tract infections
There are other things that can trigger symptoms, even laughing, crying, and yelling can sometimes cause the airways to tighten in sensitive lungs, triggering an asthma attack.
• Allergens
• Airborne irritants and pollutants
• Exercise
• Weather
• Respiratory tract infections
There are other things that can trigger symptoms, even laughing, crying, and yelling can sometimes cause the airways to tighten in sensitive lungs, triggering an asthma attack.
What are the Symptoms of Asthma?
Most people with asthma only have difficulty breathing every so often. When it does happen, it is known as an asthma flare-up or an asthma attack. A person having an asthma attack may cough, wheeze (make a whistling sound while breathing), be short of breath and feel an intense tightness in the chest. Many people say it feels extremely hard to get air in and out of their lungs, like they are breathing through a small straw. An asthma attack can last for several hours or longer if a person doesn’t use asthma medication. Afterwards, the person usually feels better.
Asthma
Asthma is a lung disease that causes you to have difficulty breathing. More than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. People with asthma may have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce large amounts of thick mucus. They are also overly sensitive to certain things like dust, cigarette smoke or even exercise, which are called triggers.
This sensitivity causes the muscles that surround the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through. This is what happens to a person’s lungs during an asthma attack.
This sensitivity causes the muscles that surround the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through. This is what happens to a person’s lungs during an asthma attack.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)