! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
0Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
No linked treatment or supportive options are listed yet.
Introduction / full article
Emphysema
ID 2148
Emphysema
A type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is caused by damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs; resulting in breathlessness. Most cases are caused by smoking or long term exposure to certain industrial pollutants or dust. In this condition, the walls of the alveoli are destroyed, decreasing a patient’s ability to get oxygen into the blood. Chronic complications include pneumonia, lung collapse, heart problems and the need for long-term oxygen use.
Summary References
Treatments:
1. http://oac.med.jhmi.edu/res_phys/Encyclopedia/Emphysema/Emphysema.HTML
2. http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/respiratorydiseasecopd/a/emphysema.htm
3. http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/149/main.html
4. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/emphysema/overview.html
5. http://www.medicinenet.com/emphysema/article.htm
6. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/emphysema/page3_em.htm#Emphysema Symptoms
7. http://www.lungusa.org/lung-disease/emphysema/
8. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/emphysema/DS00296/METHOD=print
9. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/407635-overview
10. http://www.meddean.luc.edu/Lumen/MedEd/MEDICINE/PULMONAR/pathms/mpath6.htm
11. http://www.gridge.org/duodenal-atresia/
