EMPHYSEMA By: Jessica S., Forster A., and Zach D.

Definition A long term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is often caused by smoking.

History of Emphysema It is believed that, Frederick Ruysch, a Dutch anatomist and botanist discovered large air spaces in human lung in the year 1721. He termed it Emphysema. Emphysema in Greek means to blow into.

Symptoms Shortness of breath Wheezing Chest tightness Reduced capacity for physical activity Chronic coughing, which could also indicate chronic bronchitis Loss of appetite and weight Fatigue

When To See a Doctor You are losing weight You tire quickly, or you cant easily do the things you used to do You can’t breath well enough to tolerate even moderate exercise Your breathing difficulty worsens when you have a cold Your lips or fingernails are blue or gray, indicating low oxygen in your blood You frequently cough up yellow or greenish sputum You note that bending over to tie your shoes makes you short of breath You are losing weight

Genetic or Hereditary Most emphysema is caused by smoking, but a small number of cases is caused by an inherited defect.

Treatments and Medicine Bronchodilator medicines - relaxes muscles around your airway (only if you have airway constrictions) Anti-inflammatory - soothes and heals the outer lining layer of air passages and this makes them more resistant to obstruction Oxygen therapy - supply oxygen that can help the patient whose lung function is severely impaired Lung reduction surgery - Surgeons cut out the destroyed lung and let the good lung expand. This is achieved by a type of surgery called laparoscopy. Transplant surgery - much more invasive than lung reduction surgery and only available to a small group of patients. They go in and take out the old bad lung and put in a new lung.

How Diet Affects Emphysema Food gives you energy and patients that have emphysema need extra energy just to breathe Vitamins and nutrients you get from food helps maintain healthy lung function You should limit salt intake so that fluid retention does not happen Don’t take in much caffeine because caffeine affects medication Eat many meals a day because a full stomach makes breathing harder

How Exercise Affects Emphysema Exercise is very hard for people with emphysema, because excercising requires lots of energy which people get from breathing. suffers of emphysema have trouble getting air, and because of that have trouble excercising Walking is the best Do inspiratory muscle training This originally very hard, but it strengthens breathing muscles Improves breathing and quality of life

How Family Affects Emphysema Family mainly just helps you push through the tough times They can do this by Looking out for you Making sure you don’t get an “attack” Taking you to programs Making sure you use your inhaler Taking you to classes Making sure you eat well Making sure you don’t over-exercise

Short and Term Treatment Short term treatment for emphysema includes: Eating well Not smoking Not inhaling second hand smoke Getting treatment from a trusted doctor

Long Term Treatment A way to prevent this disease long term is lung transplant. This is for people with the most advanced disease, transplantation of either one or both lungs can produce a near-cure. Transplantation brings with it another set of risks and benefits. People who undergo transplantation, however, will have to take medicines to prevent the rejection of the transplant by the body. Also, not everyone qualifies for transplantation, and those who do are limited by the short supply of available organs.

Impact on the Individual and family A victim of Emphysema will suffer with shortness of breath and it will be a life time problem This will lead to a family not being able to participate in activities with the victim

Impact on the Family Family will be affected because the victim will continuously cough It will be tough having a victim of this disease in the family

Statistics Integrated into the Data 2 out of 1,000 people suffer from emphysema. Males with emphysema outnumber females by 64% Emphysema ranks 9th among chronic conditions that contribute to the lack of activity.

WOW Facts 2 million people suffer from emphysema according to recent statistics It is believed that women are protected from this disease due to certain hormones You can’t reverse emphysema It can start at ages as young as 4 or 5

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