Essay On Emphysema

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What is emphysema? The definition of emphysema is a condition where the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness. Emphysema is a long term disease that progressives in the lungs. The disease causes shortness in breathing due to over-inflation of the air sacs, emphysema is called obstructive lung disease because when someone that has the disease exhaled, the airflow is slowed down or stop because of over inflated alveoli doesn’t substitute gases when someone breaths or does little to nothing. Men are more than likely to get emphysema than women the reason being is unknown, but the different hormones in each gender is suspected. Also old age can be a risk for emphysema because the functions of the lungs decline with …show more content…

COPD is referred to both chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the symptoms of COPD are persistent coughing with mucus, shortness in breath, and tightness in the chest, the treatment for COPD is medication and a change in lifestyle, oxygen therapy . Next emphysema is caused by cigarette smoking and other toxins such as industrial chemicals, in developing countries, the smoke that's caused by cooking or heating can cause emphysema. Even though smoking is a huge contributor to emphysema there are minor risk factors such as, a low body weight, child respiratory disorders, an exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution/smog, and dust(mineral dust, cotton dust), also genetics can a lead cause to emphysema, for instance a close relative of someone with emphysema can or could get the disease themselves. There are three different morphological types of emphysema, centriactinare, panacinar, and paraseptal. Centriacinar emphysema is a form that is connected with long term cigarette smoking and it involves the upper half of a person's lungs, it beings at the respiratory bronchioles and spreads

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