Diagnostic Tests: Emphysema Symptoms, Causes Research

Emphysema
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Abstract
Emphysema is a pulmonary disease that damages the alveoli in the lungs and results in a person having breath shortness. It is caused by smoking and inhalation of fumes, dust and smoke (second hand smokers). The disease causes one to be unable to continue with their daily tasks due to the shortness in breath. There are treatments and medication that are taken to prevent its severity. Therapy and surgery helps one with severe emphysema to live a better life.
Introduction
Emphysema is among the group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The disease gradually damages the alveoli in the lungs, therefore making one be progressively short of breath. A normal person has their alveoli clustered, but one that has emphysema has their inner walls of the alveoli weakened and they could rupture. The rupture results in the creation of larger air spaces instead of various small ones. This in turn reduces the lung`s surface area and the oxygen amount that gets in to the bloodstream. When one suffering from emphysema exhales, the alveoli is already damaged and so old air is trapped and there is no more room for oxygen rich fresh air to enter the bloodstream (Mayo Clinic, 2014).
Symptoms
The main symptoms of emphysema include a gradual shortage of breath. The symptoms become troublesome when they interfere with one`s daily tasks. Eventually, emphysema results to breath shortness while one is resting (News wire, 2012).
Causes of emphysema
The main causes of emphysema are long term exposure to airborne irritants like, marijuana smoke, tobacco smoke, air pollution, manufacturing fumes (News wire, 2012). An inherited deficiency of the protein protector of the lung`s elastic structures, would rarely cause emphysema. This kind of disease would then be referred to as alpha-1-antutrypsin deficiency emphysema (Mayo Clinic, 2014).
Factors that would increase one`s risk of developing emphysema are; (1) Smoking. cigarette smokers are more likely to develop emphysema. The same is for pipe and cigar smokers. The risk increases with the amount and number of years one smokes. (2) Age is another risk factor since most people that experience the symptom of tobacco related emphysema are between 40 and 60 years. (3) Exposure to second hand smoke: this is the smoke that is inadvertently inhaled from someone smoking cigar, cigarette, and pipe and this would increase one`s risk of getting the disease.(4) Occupational exposure to dust from cotton, mining products, and wood, and fumes from chemicals puts one at a risk of getting emphysema. The risk increases when one is a smoker. (5) Exposure to outdoor and indoor pollution like fumes from burning fuels and car exhaust would increase one`s chance of getting emphysema (Mayo Clinic, 2014).