You can live to 90 with emphysema as long as you mange the emphysema condition properly although most people with emphysema only live to 70 to 85 years old.
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.
Because emphysema is a late stage of COPD, the signs and symptoms are similar.
If you have emphysema, you are already experiencing COPD symptoms, though earlier stages of COPD will not have as dramatic an impact as the degree of tissue degeneration is minimal.