Emphysema is one of the diseases in which the normal functioning of the lungs is interfered with. The person's lungs should be kept in its proper shape to prevent any interference. We have to keep it in mind that the lung is the site at which blood is oxygenated: in other words, a site in which an interchange of gases takes place.
What happens in people with the condition we are making reference to here is that the lung tissue gets destroyed, subsequently losing its ideal physical shape and hence its ability to perform its functions properly. Symptoms will become more observable, and this is our attempt to define what those symptoms are. Be reminded, however, that you cannot expect to witness these symptoms all at once. Rather, they tend to come about progressively: such that a patient starts with one of these symptoms, before advancing to the next one and then to the next one after that.
Now the first major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of breathlessness. Since the lung tissue will be experiencing a gradual destruction, that means this disease will also take quite a while before it eventually turns into a full-blown lung disease. Of course, at first, the patient will feel breathless when he or she has to exert a lot of effort in any activity or has to become involved in anything strenous. Soon, the breathlessness will become a regular occurrence, even without major exertion, because the lung tissue is deteriorating. If this goes on and nothing is done to solve it, breathlessness would become even worse such that no effort would even be required. Breathlessness is often deemed to be something that is just normal during the early stages. These bouts of breathlessness would inevitably become utterly stressful to the point of pain when nothing is done about it. It is at this point when they decide to obtain the proper medical attention.
The second major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of 'chest expansion.' The disease will naturally lead to difficulties in breathing, which then results to chest expansion. In a bid to adapt, the chest keeps on expanding, up to a level where the expansion becomes noticeable. You can clearly see signs of the expansion by measuring the antero-posterior diameter of the chest, and when it is bigger than normal, you should be concerned.
The third major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of skin discoloration 'or rather, the acquisition of a bluish skin color. You will find this to be a symptom common among many lung diseases since there isn't enough oxygenation of the blood. This lung disease symptom, which is also called cyanosis, takes time to manifest itself. It does not take place all at once. The bluish tint on the skin would be noticeable if the emphysema is left untreated. Although the cyanosis is not so apparent in the beginning, see to it that it gets nipped in the bud.
What happens in people with the condition we are making reference to here is that the lung tissue gets destroyed, subsequently losing its ideal physical shape and hence its ability to perform its functions properly. Symptoms will become more observable, and this is our attempt to define what those symptoms are. Be reminded, however, that you cannot expect to witness these symptoms all at once. Rather, they tend to come about progressively: such that a patient starts with one of these symptoms, before advancing to the next one and then to the next one after that.
Now the first major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of breathlessness. Since the lung tissue will be experiencing a gradual destruction, that means this disease will also take quite a while before it eventually turns into a full-blown lung disease. Of course, at first, the patient will feel breathless when he or she has to exert a lot of effort in any activity or has to become involved in anything strenous. Soon, the breathlessness will become a regular occurrence, even without major exertion, because the lung tissue is deteriorating. If this goes on and nothing is done to solve it, breathlessness would become even worse such that no effort would even be required. Breathlessness is often deemed to be something that is just normal during the early stages. These bouts of breathlessness would inevitably become utterly stressful to the point of pain when nothing is done about it. It is at this point when they decide to obtain the proper medical attention.
The second major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of 'chest expansion.' The disease will naturally lead to difficulties in breathing, which then results to chest expansion. In a bid to adapt, the chest keeps on expanding, up to a level where the expansion becomes noticeable. You can clearly see signs of the expansion by measuring the antero-posterior diameter of the chest, and when it is bigger than normal, you should be concerned.
The third major symptom through which the lung disease known as emphysema manifests is that of skin discoloration 'or rather, the acquisition of a bluish skin color. You will find this to be a symptom common among many lung diseases since there isn't enough oxygenation of the blood. This lung disease symptom, which is also called cyanosis, takes time to manifest itself. It does not take place all at once. The bluish tint on the skin would be noticeable if the emphysema is left untreated. Although the cyanosis is not so apparent in the beginning, see to it that it gets nipped in the bud.
