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What Causes Mild Centriloblar And Paraseptal Emphysema?
Question: I saw my polmunologist again today and he said i have borderline to mild centriloblar and paraseptal emphysema.. he also said my lunds are hyperinflated a little based on mild markings on my ct scan... ive been smoking 1 to 1 1/2 packs of ciggarettes for 40 years now and trying to quick,... im 54 years old white male thin 5'7" 145 pounds and no on any medications. my 02 sat is usually between 94% and 99%.. if i quit smoking now can this mild emphysema still get worse or can it actually heal itself...... can the hyperinflated lungs go away and will i die from this or will it continually get worse no matter what? i need honest answers and prognosis please i am totally terrified and full of anxiety and im trying hard to quit smoking. i have cut down some.... also i feel like i have to take a deep breathe and i can take a deep breathe but alot of time it doesnt feel satisfying .... is this stress induced from worry or part of the mild emphysema
Brief Answer:
quitting smoking is great
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question.
The two processes involved in what is usually called COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The emphysema is a destruction of the alveoli, the small airspaces where oxygen exchange takes place. Chronic bronchitis involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes with constriction and mucus production. Most long term smokers have some of both. The chronic bronchitis part can resolve completely if you stop smoking.
The emphysema can not be repaired. You will not get back the alveoli that you have lost due to smoking. However, if your oxygen saturations are still good then there is a chance you have not lost so many alveoli that you will be disabled from it if you stop smoking now. We do lose some alveoli as we age but you will slow down you loss greatly if you stop smoking now.
You will also decrease your risk of heart disease and lung cancer if you stop so it is great that you are getting rid of the cigarettes.
It is impossible to predict for any one person but at your age, if you stop now with only borderline to mild emphysema then you have a good chance of not being disabled by this amount of damage. I think if you can quit you can go on to have a healthy life.
Good luck to you
Dr. Robinson
quitting smoking is great
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question.
The two processes involved in what is usually called COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The emphysema is a destruction of the alveoli, the small airspaces where oxygen exchange takes place. Chronic bronchitis involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes with constriction and mucus production. Most long term smokers have some of both. The chronic bronchitis part can resolve completely if you stop smoking.
The emphysema can not be repaired. You will not get back the alveoli that you have lost due to smoking. However, if your oxygen saturations are still good then there is a chance you have not lost so many alveoli that you will be disabled from it if you stop smoking now. We do lose some alveoli as we age but you will slow down you loss greatly if you stop smoking now.
You will also decrease your risk of heart disease and lung cancer if you stop so it is great that you are getting rid of the cigarettes.
It is impossible to predict for any one person but at your age, if you stop now with only borderline to mild emphysema then you have a good chance of not being disabled by this amount of damage. I think if you can quit you can go on to have a healthy life.
Good luck to you
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Thank you very much for your response as my anxiety is very high and cant stop worrying about this ..... were you able to view the pft test report i took last week at my polmunolgists office >? and if so can you give a detailed explaination of how bad things are
Brief Answer:
PFTs look good
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your follow up.
Yes, pulmonary function testing looks very good. One of the main measures we look at is FEV1, that means forced expiratory volume in one minute. Yours was 98 % of predicted which is excellent. Another important measure is FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) and again yours was excellent at 93% of predicted.
Your lung volumes and diffusion were normal
The Pulmonary function testing is really good and a good sign that if you stop smoking you may not have long term damage.
Really, things are not that bad. You are luck that this was diagnosed at an early stage. Try not to worry and just focus on getting rid of the cigarettes.
Best to you.
Dr. Robinson
PFTs look good
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your follow up.
Yes, pulmonary function testing looks very good. One of the main measures we look at is FEV1, that means forced expiratory volume in one minute. Yours was 98 % of predicted which is excellent. Another important measure is FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) and again yours was excellent at 93% of predicted.
Your lung volumes and diffusion were normal
The Pulmonary function testing is really good and a good sign that if you stop smoking you may not have long term damage.
Really, things are not that bad. You are luck that this was diagnosed at an early stage. Try not to worry and just focus on getting rid of the cigarettes.
Best to you.
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
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