Emphysema self-test refers to determine whether you have emphysema by yourself through the changes appearing in your body, but you generally don’t mind to conduct self-tests, if discomfort occurs, it is recommended to consult a doctor in time, under the guidance of the doctor, combined with other auxiliary tests to clarify the diagnosis.
Emphysema refers to the distal portion of the terminal bronchus that is distended and accompanied by the destruction of the air cavity wall. It is a pathological state of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
1. Clinical manifestations: the first symptom is chronic cough and sputum. Sputum can be white foamy sputum, mucus sputum or purulent sputum. Shortness of breath and dyspnea may occur after exertion, and if the disease develops to an advanced stage, shortness of breath and chest tightness may be felt during daily activities or even at rest. As the disease progresses, symptoms such as poor mental status, weight loss and loss of appetite may appear.
2. Physical signs: emphysema can be seen as barrel-shaped chest, in which the anterior and posterior diameters of the thorax are enlarged, almost equal to the left and right diameters, making the thorax barrel-shaped and the rib space widened. In the early stage, the breathing is deep and slow, and in the late stage, the breathing becomes shallow and the frequency increases. Severe emphysema is seen with paradoxical chest and abdominal movements and subxiphoid apical pulsations. Lung percussion shows excessive clear sound, breath sounds on both sides may be reduced, the expiratory phase is prolonged, and sometimes dry and wet rales can be heard.
The early manifestations of emphysema are not obvious, and it is not scientific to rely only on clinical manifestations and signs for diagnosis. It is recommended to go to the department of respiratory medicine in the hospital if necessary, and improve the pulmonary function test, chest X-ray, chest CT in order to clarify the diagnosis.