COPD Symptoms - Effects of Smoking
Emphysema Plus Bronchitis - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Sep 22, 2009
“Over 438,000 Americans die from diseases directly related to cigarette smoking each year...” according to an (author unknown) American Lung Association (ALA) undated article titled, “Tobacco Use: What is the Connection Between Tobacco Use and Lung Disease?” The article is published on the ALA web site.
Cigarette Smoke & Lung Disease
60 of the 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke are known for their ability to cause cancer and other diseases of the lungs, according to the American Lung Association. Deaths from chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) due to smoking “...is directly responsible for 90 percent of deaths from COPD...” according to ALA. COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Other risk factors from tobacco smoke, according to ALA, are:
- Lung cancer.
- Heart disease.
- Stroke.
- Respiratory tract infections.
- Heart attack.
- Alzheimer’s disease.
- Dementia.
- Cataracts.
The ALA article states that males, age 65 and over, who smoke are “twice as likely to die from a stroke...the main risk factor for COPD, for men and women age 65+, is smoking." ALA states that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth leading cause of deaths in the United States. People that quit smoking, at any age, begin to reduce the health risk immediately, according to ALA.
COPD: Emphysema & Chronic Bronchitis Symptoms
Emphysema is a “pathological” lung condition causing difficulty in breathing and “...increased susceptibility to infection,” according to the Farlex Medical Dictionary on-line. Farlex defines bronchitis as a bronchial tube condition causing “inflammation of the mucous membrane.”
COPD symptoms encompass the symptoms of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Common emphysema symptoms, according to the American Lung Association, are:
- Shortness of breath.
- Wheezing.
- Chronic cough.
- Chest colds.
- Yellowing of eyes and skin.
- Abdomen or leg swelling.
- Energy decrease.
- Asthma.
- Liver problems.
The ALA states that chronic bronchitis symptoms are:
- Bronchial tube inflammation.
- Ongoing coughing and coughing up mucus or phlegm.
- Breathing problems.
- Bacterial infection in airways.
Both emphysema and bronchitis symptoms are published on the ALA web site in an (author unknown) article, dated November 2006, titled, “Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Emphysema.” The ALA article states that alph1-1 antitrypsin deficiency emphysema is an inherited cause of emphysema, but the symptoms for the different causes of emphysema are similar.
COPD: Acute Bronchitis & Emphysema Facts
According to the American Lung Association the majority of deaths from COPD are caused by smoking. ALA also states that when smoking is ceased the health risk begins to reduce immediately. The combination of chronic bronchitis systems and emphysema symptoms is a condition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is the fourth leading cause of deaths in the U.S.A., according to ALA.
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