The lungs ensure the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The blood is supplied with fresh oxygen and carbon dioxide is exhaled again. When the lungs do not work properly, there is a shortage of oxygen in the body. There are various lung diseases that cause this. Emphysema is one of these. Emphysema involves air or gas in the tissue or organ and expansion of the tissue. In the lungs we see that this causes the alveoli to break. Symptoms include shortness of breath and increased heart rate. The disease cannot be cured, but the disease process can be halted.
Emphysema
What is emphysema? This is expansion of an organ or tissue due to the presence of too much air or gas. So emphysema is a medical condition. The most common form of emphysema is that of the lung or pulmonary emphysema.
Cause
In most cases, the cause of emphysema is tobacco smoking. Even if another cause is found, smoking will only promote emphysema more quickly.
Chronic bronchitis is also a causative agent. Chronic bronchitis is a chronic inflammation of the branches of the trachea. This is often caused by smoking and sometimes by an underlying lung disease. Experiencing acute bronchitis several times can also turn into chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is the result of the flu or a cold.
Asthma can also be the cause of emphysema. The lungs are chronically inflamed. In many cases, asthma is hereditary. It often starts with an allergy and ends with asthma. Asthma can progress to emphysema.
Foreign bodies in the trachea also cause emphysema in some cases. This involves inhaling substances that are toxic (toxic fumes). Sometimes a deficiency of a specific enzyme is the cause. This is then innate.
Symptoms and complaints
What actually happens with emphysema? The inhaled air enters through the trachea and travels to the lungs. The branches that run to the lungs become smaller and smaller. We call these the bronchi. The bronchi divide again and end in the alveoli. Exchange between carbon dioxide and oxygen takes place in the alveoli. The carbon dioxide is delivered to the alveoli and exhaled, the oxygen is delivered to the blood via the alveoli. The alveoli therefore have a very important function.
In emphysema, the alveoli are destroyed. This happens, for example, due to the effect of toxic fumes such as cigarette smoke. Broken alveoli tear open. This creates larger air chambers. Air remains in the lungs, which also destroys other alveoli. The number of alveoli that exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen becomes smaller. This means that fewer of these gases can be exchanged. The blood vessels that ensure the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen are also damaged. All this mainly results in shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath initially occurs mainly during exertion. Later this also occurs when resting. More mucus will be produced in the lungs, resulting in coughing. Breathing will become whistling at a later stage. Chest pain occurs during exertion. The heart rate has also accelerated. Not only during exertion, but also during rest at a later stage.
Because the air remains in the lungs, it becomes difficult to exhale the air. Pursing the lips reduces the opening for exhalation. This increases the pressure in the lungs. This causes the closed airways to open up again. This makes exhaling easier. We often see that patients with emphysema exhale with pursed lips.
Prognosis
Emphysema is a serious lung disease that cannot be cured. It will also continue to progress: the disease is irreversible. Once you have emphysema, your condition will become increasingly worse. There will be an increasing shortage of oxygen. The lungs are increasingly unable to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Severe oxygen deficiency often causes a blue discoloration, especially of the lips and nails. Hyperventilation is common in the later stages.
Infections of the lungs are always lurking due to the development of sometimes large air-filled holes in the lungs. The heart has to pump harder to supply the dwindling oxygen in time. This causes the heart to become overloaded. A collapsed lung is also a possible complication.
Most patients ultimately die from pneumonia, heart failure or collapsed lung. The risk of lung cancer is also increased with emphysema. It is difficult to say how long someone with emphysema will have to live. This depends on various factors, including the degree of damage and whether someone smokes or continues to smoke.
Therapy
The disease cannot be cured. However, the disease process can be stopped. This will prevent the disease from progressing any further, but the damage already incurred cannot be repaired and will not recover itself. Quitting smoking is the most important. This prevents further alveoli from being crushed. Anti-inflammatories are often administered to treat and prevent inflammation of the airways. Air purifiers are also administered. These ensure that the airways become more open by relaxing the muscles, which makes breathing easier. Sometimes it is necessary to administer extra oxygen. We mainly see this at a more advanced stage. In some cases a lung transplant is performed.
