Is Emphysema a Rare Disease and is There Hope for Improvement?

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QUESTION: Now that a cause for some of my shortness of breath has been
diagnosed as emphysema, I want to find out all I can about a condition I have
never really understood. Is this considered a rare disease, and is there any
hope for any improvement in my condition?
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ANSWER: I don't believe that you can classify a disease that affects between
one and two million Americans as a rare disease, and it is a problem for an
ever increasing number of people. It generally begins to show its symptoms of
increasing breathlessness between 40 to 60 years of age, and may be attributed
to both age and obesity by new sufferers of the disease. Yet a healthy person
approaching retirement age should still be able to breathe with ease of a 20
year old, even when in involved in moderate activity such as a brisk walk
along level paths. The causes of emphysema are poorly understood,
particularly why certain individuals seem to develop a more severe type of
disease than others. Smoking is definitely linked to the disease in nine out
of ten cases. The walls of the little sacs at the end of the air tubes
leading into the lungs (alveoli) lose their elasticity, and cannot contract
and force the air out of the sac with each expiration, resulting in trapped
air within the lungs. This lowers the amount of air flowing in and out of the
lungs each time a breath is taken and reduces the lungs ability to exhale the
carbon dioxide built up in the blood stream by the body's metabolism, as well
as reducing the amount of oxygen in freshly inhaled air that can be delivered
to the blood stream. That results in the feeling of being smothered that so
many emphysematous patients experience. There is no cure for this chronic
obstructive lung disease, and recurring bacterial and viral infections may
aggravate both the disease and its symptoms, leading to the development of an
aggravating cough. The best way to slow the progress of emphysema is to stop
smoking once and for all time. Avoid areas where other smokers may be filling
the air with fumes that are truly hazardous to your health. A supervised
exercise program and the prompt treatment of any respiratory infections will
also help you reduce the complications of this common illness.