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it slowly kills you. ---- Emphysema is most often caused by long term exposure to cigarette smoke, or exposure to other irritants (people who used to work in coal mines often develop emphysema).
The irritants gradually damage the alveoli in the lungs, destroying their elasticity and shape. This results in a smaller surface area for gas exchange between the alveoli and blood vessels to take place. This results in less oxygen being absorbed and delivered to body tissues. The person with emphysema will therefore get very short of breath very quickly when carrying out day to day activities.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoThe surface tension in the alveoli of lungs gets considerably increased, because of reduced synthesis of surfactants, which may have occured, as in most cases, due to chronic smoking. This causes permanent expansion of lungs, i.e., once inflated, they can regain their previous original size. Hence, the patient suffers from dyspnoea and other manifestations of emphysema.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago. A condition of the lung characterized by increase beyond the normal in the size of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchiole (those parts containing alveoli), with destructive changes in their walls and reduction in their number. Clinical manifestation is breathlessness on exertion, due to the combined effect (in varying degrees) of reduction of alveolar surface for gas exchange and collapse of smaller airways with trapping of alveolar gas in expiration; this causes the chest to be held in the position of inspiration ("barrel chest"), with prolonged expiration and increased residual volume. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis often, but not necessarily, coexist. Two structural varieties are panlobular (panacinar) emphysema and centrilobular (centriacinar) emphysema; paracicatricial, paraseptal, and bullous emphysema are also common
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Is emphysema caused from a person's lifestyle?
NO, emphysema cannot be solely blamed on a person's lifestyle. Emphysema is caused by any of a number of lung irritants, which affect the alveoli and trigger the production of excess phlegm.
How does emphysema affect your life?
Emphysema is a disease that destroys the tiny air sacs in your lungs. In this case it can even cause lung cancer. A person with advanced emphysema uses 80% of his/her energy to breathe.
Would a person with emphysema have trouble climbing stairs?
Yes
Quit smoking will emphysema get worse?
Emphysema is a disease which does tend to get worse once it appears. However, it will get worse faster if a person continues to smoke.
What happens if you smoke chronic?
You can develop lung caner and or emphysema, both which are deadly diseases.
What happens to blood gases in a patient with emphysema?
Decreased Oxygen, increased CO2, Acidosis
Do people with emphysema have a higher or lower breathing rate than someone who does not have the disease?
Emphysema causes a higher breathing rate. A person with emphysema can be "air hungry" even when getting external oxygen by mask or cannula.
What happens if you have emphysema and you keep on smoking?
ANY lung irritant, like smoking, (or bon fires, air pollution, 2nd hand smoke, etc.) will all continue to worsen emphysema. Emphysema is chronic, though. The damage is already present and will worsen.
What type of condition is emphysema?
The name is emphysema , not emophysema . It causes destruction in the alveoli in our lungs .So the affected person can't breathe properly and hyperventilation occurs .
Can having emphysema cause seizures?
During the usual course of emphysema, a person who has never had seizures before will not have any seizures. A person could or might have a seizure if they experience a severe impairment in the ability to breathe--such as if they contracted pneumonia on top of the emphysema--and had even less O2. But generally, emphysema is just a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation, increased phlegm and coughing, and impaired gas exchange.
How does emphysema affect vital capacity?
Emphysema's effect on vital capacity increases as the disease progresses. Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) which obstructs the passage of air out of the lungs. As a person exhales with emphysema, the airways close prematurely which reduces the exhalation volume thus reducing vital capacity.
Is THC really a cure for Emphysema?
There is no cure for emphysema-- except lung or heart-lung transplant (which likely would not be done). THC will NOT cure emphysema. The person using THC just won't care as much that they can't get air-- and, because of that effect on the body/brain, the person could stop breathing from THC.
