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Emphysema is one of several respiratory diseases known collectively as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The other main condition is Chronic Bronchitis.
Emphysema is a respiratory disease where millions of the lungs' tiny air sacs (alveoli) stretch out of shape or rupture. The lungs' alveoli are clustered like bunches of grapes. As these thin, fragile air sacs become damaged or destroyed, the lungs lose their natural elasticity. Air stays trapped inside the lungs because the damaged lung sacs can't empty. In emphysema, the inner walls of the air sacs weaken and eventually rupture — creating one larger air space instead of many small ones. When exhaling, the damaged alveoli don't work properly and old air becomes trapped, leaving no room for fresh, oxygen-rich air to enter. This reduces the surface area of the lungs and, in turn, the amount of oxygen that reaches your bloodstream.
Emphysema is a progressive disease gradually damaging the air sacs (alveoli). As the condition worsens, the lungs lose their ability to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Breathing becomes more difficult. A person feels easily short of breath, like he or she is not getting enough air. Treatment may slow the progression of emphysema, but it can't reverse the damage.
Doctors diagnose COPD and emphysema with lung function tests that measure lung capacity.
Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema. There is no cure, but quitting smoking can stop emphysema from getting worse.
Emphysema can also be genetic.
In the United States (U.S.), 3.5 million people, or 1.5 percent of the population, received a diagnosis of emphysema in 2016. The number of deaths involving emphysema was 7,455, or 2.3 people in every 100,000.
Notables who died of Emphysema:
- Ranker - Famous People Who Died of Emphasema (254 people listed)
- Wikipedia - Deaths from emphysema, A-L (200 people)
- Wikipedia Deaths from emphysema, M-Z (132 people listed)
- Johnny Carson (1925-2005) - American TV hose, comedian, writer, producer, actor and musician
- John Marcellus Huston (1906-1987) - American film director, screenwriter & actor
- Dean Martin (1917-1995) (aka Dino Paul Crocetti)- American singer, actor, comedian & film producer
- Gene Tierney (1920-1991) - American film and stage actress
- Robert Mitchum (1917-1997) - American film actor, author, composer & singer
- T.S.Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot OM) (1888-1965) - Essayist, publisher, playwright, literary & social critic, & “one of the twentieth century’s major poets”
- Tallaluah Bankhead (1902-1968) - American actress, talk-show host (died from double pneumonia, complicated by emphysema and malnutrition)
- Boris Karloff (aka William Henry Pratt) (1887-1969) - English Actor
- William F Buckley, Jr (1925-2008) - American conservative author & commentator (suffering a fatal heart attack. At the time of his death, he had been suffering from emphysema and diabetes)
- Arthur Godfrey (1903-1983) American radio & TV broadcaster and entertainer
- Mary Astor (1906-1987) - American actress
- Garry Moore (1915-1993) - American entertainer, game show host & comedian ([Garry Moore (Wikipedia - Garry Moore - died of emphysema at Hilton Head on November 28, 1993; He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Northeast Harbor, Maine.)
Additional Reading:
- Mayo Clinic - Emphysema Overview, Symptoms & causes
- WebMD - What is Emphysema?
- Medical News Today - What is emphysema? By Markus MacGill, updated 13 Dec 2017
- Chest Foundation - Emphysema
- Everyday Health - Emphysema & COPD By Joseph Bennington-Castro, Medically Reviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD
jump back to Cause of death portal (See: Respiratory Conditions; a sub project under COPD)
this project is in HistoryLink
