A chronic lung disease associated with damage to the alveoli is called emphysema. Pathology causes breathing problems and is incurable.
What causes pulmonary emphysema
The most common cause of the disease is smoking. In heavy smokers, cigarette smoke leads to irreversible destructive processes in the alveoli. The best thing you can do in this case is to give up smoking completely. Such a measure will stop destructive processes in the alveolar tissues, and the state of health will improve. But it is possible to diagnose pulmonary emphysema not only in smokers. Sometimes this disease develops for another reason - due to a lack of alpha-1-antitrypsin, a glycoprotein that is designed to protect the lungs from tissue damage. Studies suggest that in our time, environmental factors, including polluted air, play a large role in the development of emphysema. In addition, the inhalation on a regular basis of various chemical compounds, dust, air suspension of cement can provoke the disease.
Classification
One can distinguish congenital (primary) emphysema of the lungs, which develops independently, and secondary, the development of which occurs against the background of other pulmonary diseases, most often obstructive bronchitis. According to the degree of prevalence, pathology is divided into localized and diffuse. And according to the degree of damage to the acinus, which is the structural unit of the lung, such types of emphysema are distinguished as panacinar (when the entire acinus is affected), centriacinar (the alveoli in the center of the acinus are affected), periacinar (the distal part of the structural unit of the organ is affected).
Signs of Emphysema
The leading symptom is expiratory dyspnea, accompanied by difficulty exhaling air. Initially, it appears only during physical exertion, and eventually progresses and arises even at rest. The intensity of this symptom depends on the degree of respiratory failure. Together with shortness of breath, a cough appears, in which a sparse mucous sputum is released. A pronounced degree of respiratory failure is manifested by puffiness of the face, cyanosis, swelling on the neck of veins. Those who become ill begin to lose weight as a result of a large expenditure of energy to ensure the functioning of the respiratory muscles. If the disease is not treated, pathophysiological irreversible changes develop in the cardiopulmonary system.
Emphysema: diagnosis and treatment features
To identify the ailment, spirometry is performed - a study aimed at measuring inhaled / exhaled air, a blood test, a chest radiograph. As already mentioned, emphysema cannot be cured. Supportive therapy is used to relieve symptoms. It includes taking medications that prevent further destruction of the alveoli, and physiotherapeutic procedures. If smoking caused emphysema, you should immediately quit addiction - continued smoking could very well lead to death. Long-term remissions of the disease can be achieved through medical gymnastics.