Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Emphysema Treatment The What, the Why, and the How

Like balloons, our lungs hold air and are very elastic, expanding and contracting easily. But what would happen if you let the air out of a balloon yet it didn't deflate? As weird as it sounds, that's basically what happens when you have emphysema.


Emphysema is caused by damage to some of the 300 million alveoli - the tiny, thin-walled air sacs clustered at the ends of the airways within the lungs - so that they become hardened and unable to "squeeze out" air from the body. Nearly two million Americans suffer emphysema symptoms; making it the 15th most common chronic condition in the U.S. Emphysema rates are highest for men age 65 and older.


Emphysema Causes; Emphysema Sym View the rest of this article


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