The Various Types, Causes, and Symptoms of Emphysema

When it comes to emphysema alone, people are fairly familiar with it, but most know it only superficially without understanding the underlying reasons. In other words, people do not understand how many types of emphysema there are, and it is even harder for them to explain the manifestations of the different types. There are approximately 6 types of emphysema, namely compensatory emphysema, focal emphysema, obstructive emphysema, senile emphysema, interstitial emphysema, and paraseptal emphysema.

Cyanosis

Senile emphysema is the most difficult to treat, a pathological reaction with a long course in which stable periods and exacerbation periods alternate, and it is also one of the most frequently occurring types of emphysema. Senile emphysema often has a history of chronic cough with gradually worsening shortness of breath. In treatment, when conventional bronchodilators are used for senile bronchial asthma and no longer produce obvious effects, it can then be determined to be senile emphysema.

Emphysema is merely a pathological phenomenon, commonly called smoker's disease by ordinary people. After long-term smoking and other sources of irritation, the lungs become over-inflated, which in fact causes damage by over-expanding the bronchi, alveolar ducts, and alveolar sacs. Smoking addiction does not directly cause emphysema; rather, it develops from bronchitis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary tuberculosis, silicosis, and so on. There is evidence showing that when smoking addiction causes chronic bronchitis and develops into emphysema, the likelihood is 10 times greater than in ordinary people.

Barrel chest

Therefore, emphysema is a disease that arises as a complication and consequence of various causes, which is why there are multiple categories of emphysema. The pathogens of the various types of emphysema show almost identical symptoms in the early stage, such as cough and sputum production, with no obvious characteristic symptoms that make them easy to identify. After progressing to emphysema, initially there is difficulty breathing and shortness of breath during exercise, and only with further progression do pronounced acute manifestations appear. In some cases, a purple color often appears on the lips, fingernails, and toenails, which is cyanosis. There may also be fever, chills, loss of appetite, upper abdominal fullness, purulent sputum, general weakness, and then barrel chest, and so on.