Cigars and pipe smoke may be less harmful ...

Tobacco smoke is the leading cause of emphysema. The most common causes of emphysema is smoking and a small number of cases due to a hereditary defect, according to. The most common cause of death from respiratory disease is emphysema, and is about two million patients in the United States with the disease. Emphysema is most common among patients older than 50 years, although hereditary form may become symptomatic as early as the 30's. When someone has both emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis, the two terms of the collective known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In normal lungs, breathe air down into the trachea (windpipe) and into the airways called bronchioles. These airways are many branches that end in millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli. Bronchioles and alveoli are elastic and expand like a balloon filling with air. Alveoli, the belly, when the air cleared, including during exhalation. Emphysema is a chronic respiratory disease, which inhibits the easy ability to expand and contract. If someone has emphysema, many of the alveoli may lead to damage, lose their shape and prevents the airway. Emphysema can destroy the walls of the alveoli, which may lead to larger and smaller alveoli. Bronchioles, leading to the collapse of the alveoli can that keeps the air in the alveoli and prevents them from fully compressed. Alveoli, it is in expansion and rupture, causing shortness of breath that characterizes emphysema. Emphysema develops very slowly and is usually preceded by years of exposure to cigarette smoke stimuli. Chronic bronchitis may precede the development of emphysema. Visiting a doctor is usually caused by shortness of breath during exercise or physical activity. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, chest wheel appearance, blue nail beds, chronic cough, lasting weight loss and evaporation. Emphysema is a progressive, meaning that it gets worse over time. A short walk may be enough to cause difficulty in breathing, as the disease progresses. Emphysema of the lungs can cause life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia or heart failure. Blood vessels that transport blood to the lungs become thinner and may even be destroyed, as lung tissue deteriorates. This makes it more difficult to pump blood through the lungs. As the heart continues to work harder, it eventually weakens and the right ventricle begins to enlarge. This increases blood pressure in the veins that go from the right side of the heart and can lead to heart failure. Smoking is responsible for approximately 80 to 90 percent of emphysema. Other species, such as smoking cigars, pipes and marijuana can also damage the lungs. Cigars and pipe smoke may be less harmful, as it usually does not inhale, smoke marijuana may be more devastating because the smoker holding it in. immune system releases substances designed to protect the lungs when a person smokes or breathes some other respiratory irritants. However, these substances also damage cells in the lungs of smokers, so the lungs lose their elasticity. The number of cases of emphysema in women increases with the number of women smokers, but men are still more likely than women to develop emphysema. An estimated 100,000 Americans have a protein deficiency alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT). Severe AAT deficiency occurs only in people who have two defective genes, while 25 million people have one defective gene AAT. Some people with one defective gene AAT may be completely asymptomatic, while others may only mild to moderate symptoms. These carriers are more likely to get liver and lung problems and can pass the defective gene to their children. According to, AAT protects the elastic structures in the lungs from damage lasix 5 mg certain enzymes. Lack of AAT almost always leads to emphysema of the lungs, usually at the age of 40 years. The severity of emphysema in people who are deficient in AAT aggravated by smoking. People with early emphysema should be checked for lack of AAT, particularly if they are non-smoker or a family history of AAT deficiency. Anyone with AAT deficiency should consider relatives as well as trial. .