by Karl Dade

Created on: September 13, 2008

What is emphysema?
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Emphysema is a long term lung condition that is usually caused by smoking that gets worse over time. It damages the air sacs in the lung making it harder to breathe. It is a part of a lung disease called COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
What causes emphysema?
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The main cause of emphysema is smoking, but there are other causes. Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, this basically means that you are lacking in an enzyme that protects the lung and air pollution. The later two are uncommon and the most likely cause is smoking.

What are the symptoms?
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The symptoms area as follows, shortness of breathe, difficulty breathing out, a barrel shaped chest, wheezing, feeling tired (fatigue) and loosing weight without having to try.
How do I know if I have emphysema?
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First of all you must undergo a physical examination from your doctor, who will then do a spirometry. This will tell him how much lung capacity you have. Next you will need to have a chest X-Ray and finally blood tests.
Is there a cure for emphysema?
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Unfortunately there is no cure for emphysema. But there is a preventative stop smoking and going into smoky places.
How long will I live with emphysema?
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You could live for a long time with emphysema it depends on what age you are diagnosed with it, how bad the lung damage is, how much you smoke, what medical treatment you get and what other health problems you might have.
What complications does emphysema cause?
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It can cause recurring chest infections like pneumonia and the flu. Pulmonary hypertension which is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, Cor Pulmonale (enlargement and strain on the right hand side of the heart and an increased blood count.
My Story
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Around about 3 years ago I got this really nasty pain in my chest, every time I took a step I was getting sharp pains in my heels shooting up into my chest. I was unsure of what it was so I went to the doctors and he diagnosed me with a chest infection, gave me some medicine and sent me packing. However after a few more days the pain got unbearable and the medicine didn't seem to be working so I went back. This time the doctor decided that I should go have a chest X-Ray to see what it would reveal, so of to hospital I went. I had my X-Ray and was awaiting my results when a nurse came out with a wheelchair and started heading towards me. She told me to get into the wheelchair and gave me my results and told me they had found something wrong. It turned out to be a pneumo

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