About Smoking & Emphysema
The American Lung Association defines emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as a condition in which the alveoli and air sac walls lose their ability to stretch and retract. When the air sacs of the lungs weaken, they no longer have the ability to facilitate oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Air becomes trapped in the sacs. The most common risk factor for emphysema is smoking.
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Symptoms
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Smokers in the early stages of emphysema experience shortness of breath caused by lung inflammation. People with emphysema get more colds than nonsmokers and nagging coughs that won't go away. The symptoms become more severe over time, as breathing becomes more laborious, lungs become clogged with mucus and wheezing and coughing increase. Smokers with emphysema often cough as they smoke and eventually need oxygen from external sources to complete daily activities.
How Smoking Causes Emphysema
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Smoking does not result in emphysema overnight; it develops slowly because of smoking for years. Smoking causes emphysema by irritating lung air sacs, thus destroying the lungs ability to convert oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. Cigarettes burn irreversible holes in air sacs that cannot be repaired. As this lining burns away, breathing capacity decreases.
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Statistics
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 400,000 people a year die of cigarette-related illnesses, including emphysema. The CDC cites a joint research project conducted by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and the U.S. Census. The study established that 59 percent of all smoking deaths are a direct result of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In addition, men suffer from emphysema more than women. Only 20 to 30 percent of people diagnosed with emphysema live longer than five years.
Self-Treatment
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There is no cure for emphysema; however, when people quit smoking, the progression of the lung damage slows down. People who quit smoking once diagnosed with emphysema experience increased lung capacity and live longer than people who continue smoking. In addition to smoking cessation, Physicians Desktop Reference states that people with emphysema should avoid pollution if possible, learn breathing exercises, eat a healthy diet to avoid becoming underweight, and remain hydrated to decrease mucus production.
Medical Intervention
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Over time, exposure to cigarette smoke erodes the lungs' linings, and in addition to lifestyle changes, the only treatments for emphysema are drugs or surgical procedures. The American Lung Association lists some of the treatments, such as antibiotics to fight infections like pneumococcal pneumonia, steroids and bronchodilators. Surgical procedures include lung-volume reduction surgery, in which the damaged parts of the lungs are removed, allowing healthy lungs to expand. People with severe cases of emphysema, though, may need lung transplants. Lung transplants, however, cannot be done if people are too weak and lung damage is too advanced.
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