The shape of the chest in COPD is a barrel chest which forms because the lungs are chronically overfilled with air and cannot deflate as they normally should.
This then causes your rib cage to be partially expanded at all times.
A COPD cough will sound like a wheezing, crackling and ronchi sounding cough.
One of the first signs of COPD is a cough that does not go away.
The three lung diseases that make up COPD are occupational lung disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
The difference between COPD and emphysema is that COPD is a term that is used to describe a group of lung conditions and emphysema is one of the lung conditions.
Emphysema is a progressive lung disease that is caused by over inflation of your alveoli which are air sacs in the lungs.
The first signs of emphysema are wheezing, sputum production, cough, shortness of breath that gets worse with activity and rapid breathing.
Inhalers such as long acting bronchodilator inhalers can help with emphysema and are prescribed by your doctor.
The long acting inhaler bronchodilators are used on a regular schedule in order to open up your airways and keep the airways open so you can breathe better with emphysema.
The organs that are affected by emphysema are the lungs and the air sacs in the lungs.
In normal healthy lungs without emphysema the air sacs in the lungs are stretchy or elastic but they can become less elastic and stretchy with emphysema.
Emphysema is a lung disease that results from damage to the walls of the alveoli in your lungs.
A blockage (obstruction) may develop, which traps air inside your lungs.
If you have too much air trapped in your lungs, your chest may appear fuller or have a barrel-chested appearance.
Stage 2 emphysema is serious although not as serious as later stages of emphysema.
You can still have severe lung damage with stage 2 emphysema even if you're otherwise healthy and young.
Emphysema can stay mild forever especially if you stop smoking and eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If you continue smoking and not stay active then the emphysema will usually progress and get worse over time.
Stage 1 emphysema feels like gradual shortness of breath and fatigue or tiredness.
With stage 1 emphysema you may also have long term coughing known as smoker's cough.
Stage 1 emphysema is serious but not as serious as other stages of emphysema.
Even with stage 1 emphysema you can have significant lung damage before you notice any breathing problems with stage 1 emphysema even when you're healthy or relatively young.
Stage 1 emphysema is also called mild emphysema.
However that doesn't mean your disease is mild.
You could have significant lung damage before you even notice the breathing problems of stage 1, especially if you're relatively young and otherwise healthy.
The 5 year survival rate for emphysema is 40 to 70 percent depending on the severity of the emphysema.
5 years after diagnoses most people or 40 to 70 out of 100 people will still be alive with emphysema.
For very severe emphysema the 2 year survival rate is 50 percent.
You can live an active life with emphysema as long as you quit smoking, take your medications such as inhalers or use oxygen if you need to use it.
Maintaining an active lifestyle with emphysema can help you live longer and help improve your systems and quality of life.
The earliest age of emphysema is 55 years of age although some people may get it sooner.
Most cases of emphysema occur at the ages of 60 to 80 years of age and when you get emphysema before 55 years of age it's considered to be early onset of emphysema.
The signs that emphysema is getting worse include morning headaches, frequent lung infections, trouble breathing, breathing gets even more difficult, fatigue, blue lips or blue nail beds, sleep problems, problems having sex, depression and loss of appetite.
Walking does help emphysema as walking is a great way to improve lung function and help improve blood circulation as well.
When you have emphysema, COPD or other lung issues or breathing issues then walking can help improve your quality of life and health and help you live longer.
Emphysema takes several years to progress and reach the final stages and even COPD takes several years to progress to the final stages.
A person develops emphysema over several years and it can take decades for emphysema to progress to it's final stages.
Once you get emphysema or COPD it cannot be reversed although treatments are available and quitting smoking can help slow the progression of emphysema or COPD and help you live longer.
Medication that helps emphysema are antibiotics, inhaled steroids and bronchodilators.
Bronchodilators are drugs that help relieve coughing, shortness of breath and breathing problems by relaxing your constricted airways.
Corticosteroid drugs are inhaled as aerosol sprays and reduce inflammation and can help relieve shortness of breath.
The length of time you can live with emphysema if you smoke is around 5 to 8 years or sometimes less depending on your age and how severe the emphysema is.
Emphysema does progress after quitting smoking although quitting smoking can help you live longer even when you already have emphysema as smoking emphysema makes the emphysema progress even worse and faster.
Lungs cannot recover from emphysema and once you get emphysema you have it for life as emphysema is not curable but is treatable.
Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that damages the air sacs in your lungs and makes it hard to breathe.
You can't reverse emphysema damage, and it'll gradually get worse.
However, you can manage the symptoms with treatment and slow down the effects of emphysema.
The stage of emphysema that you need oxygen is stage 4 emphysema which is the most severe stage of emphysema.
The first signs of emphysema are wheezing, coughing, rapid breathing, shortness of breath that gets worse with activity and sputum production.
The life expectancy of a person with emphysema is 5 to 10 years less than someone without emphysema.
Some people with emphysema live 5 to 10 years after diagnoses and some people have lived longer.
My dad personally has been living 20 years so far with emphysema and he's 76 this year.
Emphysema is one of the diseases that comprises COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Emphysema develops over time and involves the gradual damage of lung tissue, specifically the destruction of the alveoli (tiny air sacs).
The first signs of emphysema are.
Cough.
Rapid breathing.
Shortness of breath, which gets worse with activity.
Sputum production.
Wheezing.
The cause of emphysema is usually long-term exposure to irritants that damage your lungs and the airways.
In the United States, cigarette smoke is the main cause.
Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoke can also cause emphysema, especially if you inhale them.
Emphysema is a type of lung disease that causes breathlessness.
Emphysema is usually caused by cigarette smoking.
There is no cure, but the condition can be managed using medications and adjustments to lifestyle.
Many people don't notice emphysema symptoms until the disease has destroyed 50% or more of their lung tissue.
Until then, the first signs include gradual shortness of breath and tiredness (fatigue).
Other emphysema symptoms include: Long-term coughing (smoker's cough).
Many of the symptoms you had in earlier stages, like coughing, mucus, shortness of breath, and tiredness, are likely to get worse.
Just breathing takes a lot of effort.
You might feel out of breath without doing much of anything.
If a person's health continues to deteriorate, doctors may recommend surgery to help improve lung function.
People who receive a diagnosis of stage 4 emphysema typically live for at least a decade following their diagnosis, especially if they quit smoking and manage their symptoms well.