Life expectancy from emphysema and what you can do about it
To be honest about it, the life expectancy of emphysema is not very encouraging. This disease affects a person progressively and is irreversible, so life expectancy due to emphysema is certainly affected. However, alternative treatments may offer some help. Not just humans, emphysema also attacks animals. For example, canine emphysema is not that common.
Before antibiotics, infection in the lungs, particularly by the tubercle bacillus that causes pulmonary tuberculosis, could not be cured; doctors simply described the disorder as a “debilitating disease.” Even today, after the invention of multi-power drugs, TB remains one of the most difficult diseases to cure completely.
Emphysema, which also affects the lungs, is another difficult disease to cure. In fact, modern doctors cannot cure it at all. While pulmonary tuberculosis is manageable with highly potent antibiotics that can eventually kill the bacilli before the bacilli can kill the patient, no antibiotic can repair the holes in the lungs that have been caused by the alveoli. And this is the tragedy of emphysema.
Emphysema disease and your life expectancy
Emphysema is a chronic and progressive pulmonary (lung) disorder and is characterized by respiratory symptoms including shortness of breath, labored breathing, and shortness of breath on exertion. Although the symptoms of emphysema and chronic bronchitis are more or less similar, the breathing disorder of emphysema is a unique and singular phenomenon.
Studies reveal that emphysema is more common in men older than 65 years. And if someone is diagnosed with the disease at this age, many doctors give the person a maximum of 3 years to live. Children and pregnant women can also be victims. Of course, although life expectancy is also affected here, they can expect to live longer. It can be said that life expectancy decreases with age. But on the plus side, at least emphysema isn’t contagious, so there’s no risk of family members being affected.
Hallmark symptoms include up to 35% to 55% damage to lung tissues, and most of that damage is unrepairable. According to the results of breathing tests (PFT or Pulmonary Function Test), there are 4 successive stages of emphysema and they are…
Stage 1 – Mild
Stage 2 – Moderate
Stage 3 – Severe
Stage 4 – Very severe or Terminal
Emphysema life expectancy and the role of spirometry
Spirometry is used to measure the volumes/percentage of air exhaled by the patient in one second. This is medically referred to as FEV 1 or forced expiratory volume of more than one second. This is an important test because it gives the doctor an estimate of the patient’s state of health and how long he can live. For a normal healthy person, the spirometer reading will be between 80 and 100. But for an emphysema patient whose reading is below 35, the person will belong to Stage 4, and this will mean that they are not expected to live for very long. . . However, with some information and effective measures, the person will certainly be able to survive for many years.
Aside from diagnostic test results, several other factors also help determine emphysema life expectancy. These include the patient’s body weight (lower weight indicates higher risk), how much they can cover before experiencing respiratory problems, the ability to resist viral or other infections, and others.
To improve the life expectancy of emphysema, doctors often prescribe long-term oxygen therapy and this also alleviates breathing problems. Small and practical oxygen cylinders can provide a 24-hour supply of oxygen, greatly increasing life expectancy. But the key is to act on the doctor’s advice.