Chantix
A Look At Smoking And Emphysema
By Brian Welsch
Smoking seemed to be cool not some twenty and thirty years ago. In fact, characters like The Marlboro Man and Joe Camel were on television screens alongside other mascots and promotions that talked about ill advised vices. However, as more people started to get sick due to the products that they chose as recreational experiments, government jurisdictions limited the advertising, and now the only commercials you see for smoking are those against it and warnings from the surgeon general to curb the influx of new smokers into never starting.
This plan of attack has been coupled with heavy taxes that have left many smokers wondering what to do about their budget, but overall, it’s a good thing and a wonder why it didn’t happen sooner. There is still one open topic to discuss in regards to smoking and emphysema, and that’s demystifying the disease. Moving forward, we will discuss what the disease is, how smoking causes it, and the treatment that will come forward if detected and diagnosed.
Emphysema is a long-term disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with this disease the lung tissues are destroyed after constant and chronic attack. Often times called an obstructive lung disease, Emphysema tears away at the tissue of the lung causing the patient to have difficulty breathing over time and eventually causing a complete shutdown of lung capacity.
Smoking and emphysema is tied together because of the nature of smoking. Smokers take the air from a cigarette and hold it in for a matter of time, constricting the lungs to have tar and chemicals directly in the path of oxygen inside the lungs. The longer a smoker keeps the smoke inside before exhaling the longer the chemicals attach and attack the healthy lung tissue. This occurs very slowly, and over time develops into a chronic mess of the lungs. Smoking aggravates the lungs consistently and over time deteriorates the healthy tissue. Smokers are urged to quit smoking upon having signs of emphysema and those that are diagnosed with it, must go down a road of treatment to help restore the tissue, if the damage isn’t too severe.
Treatment of emphysema due to smoking starts with a patient stopping all instances of smoking. Quitting smoking is point number one before continuing on any treatment of this disease. The second thing that they must consider is steroid medication, supplemental oxygen as needed, anticholinergics, and bronchodilators. Treatment is prescribed by physicians after an examination of the lungs with x-rays and other mediums. In more sever cases, Lung volume reduction surgery can improve the quality of patients. This involves removing pieces of unhealthy lung tissue, leaving a smaller portion of healthy tissue for those that need it. There is only one known cure for emphysema, that is a complete lung transplant but few patients are strong enough physically to survive this heavy laden surgical procedure. Some side effects associated with treatment of emphysema due to smoking is damage to the kidneys, heart, and other organs. Furthermore, some patients can risk getting microbial infection and a lowered immune system overall. It is heavily recommended seeking medical help if you or someone you know shows any signs of emphysema.
Read more information about the impact of smoking on health
