Belonging to the group of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema causes shortness of breath in the affected people. One of the essential components of the lungs that are damaged while people are suffering from emphysema is its air sacs, also referred to as the alveoli.

As time passes, emphysema patients have the air sacs of their lungs weaken. This ends up creating a larger area for air spaces, which was supposed to be a smaller area if the person was healthy. As a result, there is reduced surface area for the lung, in turn reducing the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. Since the alveoli and lung tissues are destroyed, bronchial tubes have no support in the lungs of emphysema patients.

As a result, the tubes end up collapsing and blocking the air within the lungs. When the condition becomes severe, contacting a specialist for lung transplant surgery in hyderabad becomes the only option.

Causes of Emphysema

Since the lungs are one of the most essential internal organs, it is important to know about the causes of any disease related to it. A few of the many leading causes of emphysema are:

• Smoking: It is considered as one of the most common causes behind the medical condition of emphysema amongst people.
• Pollution: it is not necessary that one has to smoke voluntarily to end up with emphysema. Extreme pollution levels of the environment may cause this condition in people.
• Genetic: emphysema can also be inherited. For instance, if the family of a person has had a history of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency – that person is more likely to end up with emphysema.

Symptoms of Emphysema

One of the major issues with emphysema is that they are not noticeable enough unless significant damage is done to the lung tissues. This means that unless about half of the lung tissues are not destroyed, the symptoms of emphysema might be confused by some other mild condition. Since only symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue show up in the early stages of emphysema, it is hard to consider it as an indicator factor for this condition.

However, the major symptoms of emphysema are:

• Shortness of breath even during doing basic tasks such as climbing down the stairs.
• Coughing and wheezing for a long period.
• Mucus production for a long period.
• Feeling of tiredness or fatigue.

Treating Emphysema

There are various treatment options available for emphysema. From medicines, surgeries to lifestyle changes – anything can help overcome this condition. Even though the treatment of emphysema depends upon its severity, here are a few treatments that any best lung transplant surgeon in india would suggest:

• Quitting smoking
• Bronchodilator medicines
• Anti-inflammatory medicines
• Oxygen therapy
• Lung-volume reduction surgery

Conclusion

While living in a pollution-free environment and quitting smoking are considered efficient preventive steps, one should always consider a good lungs specialist in hyderabad to have a better idea of the condition.

One of the best specialists for a lung transplant in hyderabad is Dr Gokhale. Having successfully carried out many surgeries in this field, he is a go-to option for people suffering from emphysema. His treatment and surgery options are effective, and one should consider contacting him for an appointment to get their emphysema treated.