 |
ADD DRUGS-WEB.COM AS FAVORITE - SITE MAP |
 |
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE SYMPTOMS |
||
|
There are several important risk factors
for COPD: Lifestyle. Cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor for COPD (80% of all cases). Cigar and pipe smoking can also cause COPD. Air pollution and industrial dusts and fumes are other important risk factors. Age. Chronic bronchitis is more common in people over 40 years old; emphysema occurs more often in people 65 years of age and older. Socioeconomic class. COPD-related deaths are about twice as high among unskilled and semi-skilled laborers as among professionals. Family clustering. It is thought that heredity predisposes people in certain families to the development of COPD when other causes, such as smoking and air pollution, are present. Lung infections. Lung infections make all forms of COPD worse. In the general population, emphysema usually develops in older individuals with a long smoking history. However, there is also a form of emphysema that runs in families. People with this type of emphysema have a hereditary deficiency of a blood component, an enzyme inhibitor called alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT). This type of emphysema is sometimes called "early onset emphysema" because it can appear when a person is as young as 30 or 40 years old. It is estimated that there are between 75,000 and 150,000 Americans who were born with AAT-deficiency. Of this group, emphysema afflicts an estimated 20,000-40,000 people (1-3% of all cases of emphysema). The risk of developing emphysema for an AAT-deficient individual who also smokes is much greater than for others. The first symptoms of chronic bronchitis are cough and mucus production. These symptoms resemble a chest cold that lingers on for weeks. Later, shortness of breath develops. Cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath may become worse if a person develops a lung infection. A person with chronic bronchitis may later develop emphysema as well. In emphysema, shortness of breath on exertion is the predominant early symptom. Coughing is usually minor and there is little sputum. As the disease progresses, the shortness of breath occurs with less exertion, and eventually may be present even when at rest. At this point, a sputum producing cough may also occur. Either chronic bronchitis or emphysema may lead to respiratory failure--a condition in which there occurs a dangerously low level of oxygen or a serious excess of carbon dioxide in the blood. |
||
|
||
| CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE RELATED ITEMS | ||
