
Breathing indoor pollutants, such as fumes from heating fuel, as well as outdoor pollutants - car exhaust, for instance - increases your risk of emphysema.
Exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution. If you breathe fumes from certain chemicals or dust from grain, cotton, wood or mining products, you're more likely to develop emphysema. Occupational exposure to fumes or dust. Being around secondhand smoke increases your risk of emphysema. Secondhand smoke, also known as passive or environmental tobacco smoke, is smoke that you inadvertently inhale from someone else's cigarette, pipe or cigar. Although the lung damage that occurs in emphysema develops gradually, most people with tobacco-related emphysema begin to experience symptoms of the disease between the ages of 40 and 60. The risk for all types of smokers increases with the number of years and amount of tobacco smoked. Emphysema is most likely to develop in cigarette smokers, but cigar and pipe smokers also are susceptible. Risk factorsįactors that increase your risk of developing emphysema include:
It's called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency emphysema.
Rarely, emphysema is caused by an inherited deficiency of a protein that protects the elastic structures in the lungs. If this is not possible, call NHS 111 or your local out-of-hours service.The main cause of emphysema is long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including: This may be a GP, a doctor who specialises in lung conditions (pulmonologist), or a specialist nurse.
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If you experience any of the above, phone the healthcare professional in charge of your care immediately.
severe chest pain that makes it too painful to cough and clear your lungs. rapid breathing (more than 25 breaths a minute). a blueish tinge to the skin or lips ( cyanosis). Signs and symptoms of a serious lung infection include: Some people with bronchiectasis develop a severe lung infection that may need to be treated in hospital. Some people with bronchiectasis are given a stock of antibiotics as a precaution in case they suddenly develop a lung infection. You'll usually need treatment with antibiotics. If you have been diagnosed with bronchiectasis previously and begin to experience symptoms that suggest you have a lung infection, contact a GP. While persistent coughing may not necessarily be the result of bronchiectasis, it needs further investigation. If you have not previously been diagnosed with bronchiectasis and you develop a persistent cough, visit a GP for advice.
experience a sharp chest pain that's made worse when breathing ( pleurisy).cough up blood, if you have not already done so.coughing up even more phlegm, which may be more green than usual or smell unpleasant.This is known as an infective exacerbation. If you develop a lung infection, your symptoms usually get worse within a few days. clubbing of the fingertips – the tissue beneath the nail thickens and the fingertips become rounded and bulbous.coughing up blood or bloodstained phlegm.
Some people may only occasionally cough up small amounts of phlegm, or none at all. The phlegm can be clear, pale yellow or yellow-greenish in colour. The most common symptom of bronchiectasis is a persistent cough that brings up a large amount of phlegm on a daily basis.