Emphysema affects almost 3 million Americans. It ranks 15th among chronic conditions that limit people, almost 44% of people with emphysema say that what they do each day is limited by the disease. It has been observed that men seem to have emphysema more often than women. The number of males that had emphysema in 2001 was 40% higher than the number of females that had the disease (American Lung Assoc. 1-2)

There are symptoms of emphysema that can be used to

Another surgical procedure that can be done to help an emphysema patient is a Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS). This is a surgery where the worst part of the lung is removed so that the rest of the lung can work more easily. The more severe the patients condition, the less likely that the outcomes from the surgery will be positive.

diagnose it. The early symptoms are shortness of breath, a chronic cough, cyanosis, shortness of breath, and mild wheezing. Other symptoms that may be seen are dizziness, difficulty lying down, anxiety, stress, impotence, fatigue, lack of concentration, excessive sleepiness during the day, difficult sleeping at night, or staying asleep. Often, a patient with emphysema can breathe in, but breathing out is very hard to do (Emphysema 1).

The normal lung has elastic fibers that allow the lung to expand and contract. When a chemical balance is altered within the lung, the lung loses the ability to stretch and contract. A patient that has emphysema suffers from this chemical imbalance (American Lung Assoc. 2). There are many reasons a person develops emphysema. Smoking is the m

Some topics in this essay:
Lung Assoc, , Surgery LVRS, COPD People, Inhibitor A1PI, american lung, lung assoc, American Lung, american lung assoc, lung assoc 2, emphysema 1, assoc 2, shortness breath, patient emphysema, tobacco smoke, alpha 1-antitrypsin, people smoke, help reduce, alpha 1-antitrypsin aat, disease continues worsen,