Brilio.net - Emphysema is a chronic lung disease characterized by shortness of breath. Launching from webmd.com, it is stated that more than 3 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with emphysema. This disease is classified in the COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) group.
Emphysema is a condition where the lung organs are damaged. In general, this disease is caused by smoking habits that have been going on for years. It is known that the number of smokers published by the World Health Organization or WHO states that there will be around 1.5 billion smokers aged 15 years and over in 2022.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, the number of active smokers in Indonesia taken from kemkes.go.id is estimated to reach 70 million people, with 7.4 percent of them being smokers aged 10-18 years. Apart from that, the number of children and teenagers is the group that has increased most significantly.
Based on data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in 2019, the prevalence of smoking among school children aged 13-15 years increased from 18.3 percent (2016) to 19.2 percent (2019). Meanwhile, SKI 2023 data shows that the 15-19 year age group is the largest group of smokers (56.5 percent), followed by 10-14 year olds (18.4 percent).
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that emphysema can occur due to continuous excessive smoking. However, to maintain your health you must know more about the symptoms, causes and ways to treat emphysema. For this reason, brilio.net has prepared from various sources what the symptoms, causes and ways to treat emphysema are from various sources, Tuesday (16/7).
Emphysema symptoms
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If you are frequently exposed to smoke, especially cigarette smoke, you should be wary of it. Exposure to cigarettes can trigger symptoms of emphysema and be detrimental to your health. Therefore, you must know the following symptoms of emphysema:
- Chest pain, which gets worse when you take a deep breath (pleurisy).
- Dry cough.
- Excessive sweating, especially night sweats.
- Fever and chills.
- Discomfort such as restlessness or
feeling uneasy.
- Hard to breathe.
- Weight loss (unintentional).
Causes of emphysema
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Emphysema is usually caused by exposure to cigarette smoke and causes the infection to spread directly from the lungs. This causes a buildup of pus in the pleural cavity. Quoting from pennmedicine.org, emphysema can cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs of around 2 cups (1/2 liter) or more, thereby putting pressure on the lungs. Other factors that can cause emphysema are as follows:
- Bacterial pneumonia.
- Tuberculosis.
- Chest surgery.
- Lung abscess.
- Trauma or injury to the chest.
The risk factors that often occur are as follows:
- Have a smoking habit or are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke (passive smoking).
- Living or working in an environment that is easily exposed to air pollution, such as
factory or industrial environment.
- Aged 40 years and over.
- Have a family history of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency or obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
How to treat emphysema
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You need to know that emphysema cannot be completely overcome or treated. However, several treatments can relieve the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Some treatments that can be done are as follows:
Improve your lifestyle
You can improve your lifestyle as an initial treatment for emphysema. The lifestyle improvements referred to are as follows:
- Stop smoking if the patient is an active smoker.
- Avoid cigarette smoke or other air pollution that can irritate the lungs.
- Consume balanced nutritious food.
- Exercise regularly, the type of which is adjusted to the patient's health condition.
Taking drugs
Overcoming emphysema can be done by administering medication depending on the severity of the patient's condition. The following are some drugs that can be used to treat emphysema:
- Respiratory relievers (bronchodilators), such as umeclidinium or tiotropium in the form of inhaled medication, to relieve symptoms of shortness of breath.
- Corticosteroids, to reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms.
- Antibiotics, for emphysema sufferers who also have bacterial infections.
Emphysema therapy
You can also carry out therapy which functions to relieve symptoms and increase the sufferer's ability to carry out normal activities. The forms of emphysema therapy are as follows:
- Pulmonary rehabilitation or chest physical therapy.
- Nutrition consultation.
- Oxygen therapy, for emphysema sufferers who experience a lack of oxygen in the lungs (hypoxemia).
Operation
The type of surgery performed depends on the severity of the patient's condition. For patients with severe emphysema, lung removal surgery can be performed to remove damaged lung tissue so that undamaged tissue can work more effectively.