Emphysema Life Expectancy

Emphysema is a progressive lung disease that primarily affects chronic smokers. Breathing difficulty and shortness of breath (particularly during exertion) are notable signs of this chronic ailment. The patient may also manifest wheezing, chronic cough, chest tightness, and weight loss. It is caused due to long-term exposure to toxic chemicals and hazardous fumes. In most cases, prolonged smoking is found to be the leading cause for emphysema. Studies regarding emphysema life expectancy have been conducted to predict the survival rate of patients having this chronic lung disease.

What is Emphysema?

In a patient diagnosed with emphysema, the smallest airs sacs located at the distal end of the bronchioles are enlarged and eventually, damaged. This results in decreased elasticity of the lung tissues and formation of irregular pockets in the spherical air sacs. As the number of air sacs reduce, the amount of inhaled air (oxygen) that reaches the bloodstream decrease. Also, low elasticity causes forced exhalation and damage of the airs sacs. Overall, emphysema patients experience shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat. Emphysema along with other lung ailments are collectively termed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Emphysema Stages and Life Expectancy

The incidence of emphysema is higher in older men who are above 65 years of age. Notable symptoms are manifested when 30 - 50 percent of the lung tissues are damaged. It is estimated that more than 2 million Americans are sufferers of this degenerative lung disease. Despite the significant advancements in medical science, determining emphysema prognosis still remains a challenge for health experts. A popularly adopted approach for staging this pulmonary disease called GOLD has been introduced by the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease.

Under the GOLD staging system, a spirometer is used to measure the percentage of air that can be exhaled in a second, which is known as FEV1 (forced expiratory volume per second). The reading helps in estimating the life expectancy of emphysema afflicted patients. For a healthy individual, the spirometer reading usually falls between 80 - 100 percent. Based on the breathing test results, there are four successive stages of emphysema, viz., stage 1 (mild), stage 2 (moderate), stage 3 (severe) and stage 4 (very severe).

• Mild or stage 1 emphysema is diagnosed, if the spirometer reading for FEV1 is 80 percent or more of the normal range. For such a case, more than 8 out of every 10 patients survive for 4 years.
• As for moderate or stage 2 emphysema, the FEV1 factor is lower than 80 percent of the normal, but greater than 50 percent. Out of every 10 patients diagnosed with stage 2 emphysema, about 6 - 7 survive for four years.
• Disease prognosis suggests severe or stage 3 emphysema, in case the FEV1 reading of patients is below 35 percent. Over here, 50 percent patients are likely to survive for about 4 years.
• As far as very severe cases of emphysema is concerned, the expected life expectancy is very short. Patients falling under stage 4 experience uncontrolled weight loss and find it difficult to walk normally.

As discussed above, the survival rate of patients afflicted with COPD is highest, if diagnosis is done in the early or mild stage. And if a severe condition is left untreated, it may be as short as 2 - 3 years or lesser than that. No doubt, the life expectancy of a patient affected with emphysema is shortened considerably and there is no permanent cure for this ailment except for lung transplant surgery, which is very risky. But, with certain effective measures and prompt lifestyle changes, a patient of emphysema can survive for many years.

While studying emphysema prognosis, several factors are taken into consideration in addition to the pulmonary function test results. Such aspects include the patient's weight (abnormally low weight is dangerous), the ability to cover ground by walking in a particular time duration, and the extent of shortness of breath during exertion. And remember that GOLD staging is useful for emphysema prognosis, but the survival rate estimated with this system is not always true. At times, patients who are expected to live for a shorter periods survive for longer years and vice versa.

Emphysema Management Guidelines

A patient in the final stage manifests severe breathing problems and lack of activity tolerance. Excess secretion of phlegm and cough are not unusual. Also, the patient is at a high risk of developing respiratory diseases, like pneumonia and acute bronchitis. Many a time, the doctor prescribes long-term oxygen therapy for easy breathing and to increase the life expectancy of emphysema patients. When accompanied with infectious diseases, emphysema symptoms are exacerbated. This is the reason why most patients of emphysema are given pneumonia and flu vaccine.

This info was in brief, with reference to the life expectancy of a patient diagnosed with emphysema. The loss of lung tissues cannot be reversed or stopped. Effective emphysema treatment involves certain measures to slow down the disease progression. The most important tip is to stop smoking and avoid exposure to cigarette smoke and other lung irritants. Other therapeutic medications are also administered to reduce inflammation, infection, and for relaxation of the bronchial tubes. For increasing survival chances, one should also follow the recommended activity guidelines and consume healthy foods as per the doctor's advice.