Emphysema is a pathologic condition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has a very low likelihood of being eradicated, but aggressive treatment can control the progression of the disease and improve the patient’s life.
Emphysema is the distal portion of the terminal bronchioles (including the respiratory fine bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and alveoli) that swells and is accompanied by destruction of the airspace walls. The appearance of emphysema is generally irreversible, but aggressive treatment can slow the progression of the disease, improve respiratory function, and enhance the patient’s ability to work and live.
When emphysema occurs, active treatment is needed, and common treatments include general treatment (oxygen therapy, smoking cessation, detachment from polluted environments, etc.), medication (bronchodilators, glucocorticosteroids, etc. in the acute stage, and active anti-infective treatment in the case of co-infections), and surgical treatments (lung decongestion, lung transplantation, etc.), etc. However, no matter what kind of treatment is available, it is more difficult to treat emphysema.
However, no matter what kind of treatment, it is difficult to achieve the goal of eradicating the disease.
Patients with emphysema need to go to a specialized respiratory clinic for timely treatment to prevent the disease from progressively worsening due to delays.