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.
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