Table of Contents
The single greatest risk factor for emphysema is tobacco smoking. Emphysema is most likely to develop in cigarette smokers, but cigar and pipe smokers are also susceptible, and the risk for all types of smokers increases with the number of years and the amount of tobacco smoked.
Other risk factors include:
Age
The lung damage that occurs in emphysema develops gradually and most people with emphysema begin to experience the symptoms between the ages of 50 and 60. This means that the age is also one of the very important risk factors.
Exposure to secondhand smoke
Although not too many people pay attention to it, secondhand smoke is a very important risk factor too. What exactly is the secondhand smoke? Also known as passive or environmental tobacco smoke, secondhand smoke is smoke that you inhale from someone else's cigarette, pipe or cigar. Despite the negative effects that involuntarily inhaled tobacco smoke can have on the lung, no experimental model of the passive smoker has been proposed.
Exposure to chemical fumes
If someone breathes fumes from certain chemicals or dust from grain, cotton, wood or mining products, she or he is definitely more likely to develop emphysema. The risk is even greater if that person smokes.
Exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution
Breathing indoor pollutants such as fumes from heating fuel as well as outdoor pollutants , car exhaust, for instance, increases the risk of emphysema significantly.
Heredity
It is proven that rare, inherited deficiency of the protein, alpha-1-antitrypsin can cause emphysema.
HIV infection
Smokers living with HIV are at greater risk of emphysema. In most cases these people develop the disease at a relatively young age.
Connective tissue disorders
Some conditions that affect connective tissue are associated with emphysema.
These conditions include:
- Cutis laxa, a rare disease that causes premature aging, and
- Marfan syndrome, a disorder that affects many different organs, especially the heart, eyes, skeleton and lungs.
Diagnosis of emphysema
To determine whether you have emphysema, your doctor is likely to recommend certain tests, including:
Pulmonary function tests
These are very helpful diagnostic tools because they are noninvasive and can detect emphysema before a person has any symptoms. These tests measure how much air lungs can hold and the flow of air in and out of lungs. They can also measure the amount of gases exchanged across the membrane between your alveolar wall and capillary membrane.
Chest X-ray
A chest X-ray is usually used to help rule out other lung problems rather than to diagnose emphysema.
Arterial blood gases analysis
These blood tests measure how well lungs transfer oxygen to your bloodstream and how effectively they remove carbon dioxide from the blood.
Pulse oximetry test
This test involves use of a small device that is beeing attached to your fingertip. The device is called oximetar. It measures the amount of oxygen in blood differently from the way it's measured in blood gas analysis.
Sputum examination
Analysis of cells in sputum can help determine the cause of some lung problems.
Computerized tomography scan
A CT scan allows a doctor to see organs in two-dimensional images. It is done by a computer. Split-second computer processing creates images as a series of very thin X-ray beams are passed through your body. A CT scan can detect emphysema sooner than an X-ray can.