What Is Emphysema?
June 30, 2009
Emphysema is an abnormal condition of lungs in which the patient is not able to expel air from his lungs. Often known as a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema is caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, including long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. To understand more about emphysema, let us try to understand the anatomy of the human lungs.
Our lungs are the primary organs responsible for the inhalation and exhalation of the air that we breathe. The lungs consist of grape like clusters called alveoli, which help in joining the airways called bronchioles. This unique structure make the lungs highly elastic and therefore helps the breathing process, in which the oxygen is retained in the body and supplied to the blood, while carbon dioxide is expelled.
In emphysema, the bronchioles get damaged and this reduces the elasticity of the lungs. Due to this the lungs get rigid and are unable to expel the unwanted carbon dioxide from the body. This leads to the saturation of carbon dioxide within the lungs and they start to enlarge. Sometimes, the enlargement is severe enough for the lungs to burst.
Emphysema is an irreversible condition that progresses slowly over many years and causes many health disorders. Around 13 million people suffer from this chronic disorder annually. The worst part of this disorder is that there is no treatment or cure for it. There is no cure via allopathic or homeopathy or herbal treatments. The only way to safeguard against emphysema is to stay away from its causes.
The primary causes for emphysema are smoking and air pollution. It is worth to be noted that passive smokers, like active smokers are at equal risk of suffering from this disorder. Therefore, if you are smoking or inhaling the cigarette smoke on a continuous basis for a long period then you might be at high risk.
Air pollution is also equally responsible as the amount of toxic substances in the environment enter our body and disturbs the normal functioning of the lungs. Other factors include exposure to dust, allergens, or deficiency of alpha-1-antitrysipin.
It is very important to prevent the occurrence of emphysema as it can cause other disorders like high blood pressure, increased heart rate, heart related disorders and asthma. Therefore, stay away from smoking and pollution and avoid emphysema.
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