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What Type Of Symptoms Indicate Emphysema?
hi I have a shadow over my lung and my gp says that it could be emphasiamia but I never smoked in my life they do not know for sure what it is on my lung as it could be farmers lung as I have worked on a farm all my life I have been given inhalers and I have sore chest and cough is getting worse have a really sore head my oxygen levels are up and down every time I go to doctor but I do feel a lot worse taking the inhaler thanks peter
Mon, 18 Jan 2016
welcome to hcm,
I really appreciate your concern,
Emphysema is structural lung disease.
In this lung parenchyma and airways are permanently dilated due to structural damage.
Most common cause for this is cigarette smoke But as you never smoke it can occur due to other causes like alpha 1 antitrypsin defeciency,
Other causes are recurrent lung infection, pollution, chemical exposure, familial, congenital, severe allergies etc.
And for diagnosis you need to consult pulmonologist and get done
1. Clinical examination of respiratory system
2. Chest x ray
3. PFT (Pulmonary Function Test).
Chest x ray is needed to rule out other Pulmonary causes.
PFT is must for the diagnosis of emphysema.
It will also tell you about severity of the disease.
And treatment of emphysema is based on severity only.
With proper inhaled treatment prognosis is good.
Please let me know if you have any further queries,
Thanks.regards
I really appreciate your concern,
Emphysema is structural lung disease.
In this lung parenchyma and airways are permanently dilated due to structural damage.
Most common cause for this is cigarette smoke But as you never smoke it can occur due to other causes like alpha 1 antitrypsin defeciency,
Other causes are recurrent lung infection, pollution, chemical exposure, familial, congenital, severe allergies etc.
And for diagnosis you need to consult pulmonologist and get done
1. Clinical examination of respiratory system
2. Chest x ray
3. PFT (Pulmonary Function Test).
Chest x ray is needed to rule out other Pulmonary causes.
PFT is must for the diagnosis of emphysema.
It will also tell you about severity of the disease.
And treatment of emphysema is based on severity only.
With proper inhaled treatment prognosis is good.
Please let me know if you have any further queries,
Thanks.regards
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