Diseases have a way of invading the bodies of individuals causing them to become unhealthy. These diseases are usually attributed to the symptoms experienced by individuals in their lives. One of the diseases is Emphysema. Emphysema is defined as a chronic condition of the lungs, wherein the walls are damaged causing holes to become present. These holes also cause airway obstruction, causing decreased elasticity of the lungs, further leading to decreased and reduced exchange of oxygen (National Emphysema Trial: Evaluation of Lung Volume Reduction Surgery For Emphysema, May 20, 2003).
Physical assessment of Emphysema includes the four basic assessments: Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation. The results are based on the findings made on a confirmed patient of Emphysema. For Inspection, patients with Emphysema have a barrel chest, with shortness of breath becoming more visible as time passes by. Tachypnea may also be present. Palpation, on the other hand, shows a decrease on the expansion of the chest and in the tactile fremitus. Furthermore, Percussion would reveal that the patient is experiencing from hyperresonance.
Lastly, Auscultation would reveal that a wheezing sound is present, and heart murmurs may be heard in the body of the patient. In addition to this, the breath sounds of the vesicles are also decreased (Emphysema: Assessment, 2006). Furthermore, a regional assessment may also be conducted on people who have Emphysema. The lungs are sent for further analysis, wherein the destroyed parts are computed. These are usually seen when the patient is sent through a CT scan. The density of the lungs are considered to be of low density when it is greater than 10 ml/g of tissue (Regional Scoring of Emphysema, n.
d. ). As mentioned earlier, Emphysema is one of the diseases that is often diagnosed for its signs and symptoms. There are people who actually get worse without being treated for the predicament. Worse, others even die in their attempt to be cured. Some of the signs and symptoms associated with Emphysema only become visible as the patient grows older. The disease is often said to be due to excessive use of cigarette and tobacco smoke. Others include excessive weight loss, dyspnea, and even difficulty in breathing (Emphysema, 2008). Several drugs were also attributed to the treatment of Emphysema.
These drugs were given primarily for the relief of pain, discomfort and complications attributed to the said disease. Some of the pharmacologic drugs associated with the treatment of Emphysema include Bronchodilators, Inhaled steroids, and antibiotics. Other treatments administered on patients include supplemental oxygen, protein therapy; intravenous shots that battle pneumonia and influenza, surgery, and even a lung transplant (Mayo Clinic Staff, December 15, 2007). Emphysema is the disease that would entail a lot of discipline from the end of the patients.
Patients should be responsible enough to drink the required medications on time, and at the same time, avoid the triggering factors of the disease. To start with, avoiding smoking cigarette and tobacco would be the best thing to do. For those who cannot avoid smoking, putting a limit to the number of sticks consumed per day would also help. Aside from this, individuals should also care for them selves, like wearing a mask when exposed to dust and other dirty places with fire and smoke. In addition to this, living a healthy lifestyle would also help in the prevention of the disease.
A healthy diet would promote good living, and would also allow people to be safe from different kinds of diseases. From everything that has been said and done, it is best to have a regular check up with the doctor so that problems such as Emphysema may be avoided. This would also help in the alleviation of health in society.
Works Cited
“What is Emphysema? ” 20 May 2003. National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT): Evaluation of Lung Volume Reduction Surgery for Emphysema. 28 September 2008 from <http://www. nhlbi. nih. gov/health/prof/lung/nett/lvrsweb.htm> “Emphysema: Assessment. ” 2006. RnCeus. 29 September 2008 from < http://www. rnceus. com/resp/emphysema. html>. Mayo Clinic Staff. “Emphysema. ” 15 December 2007. Mayo Clinic. 28 September 2008 from < http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/emphysema/DS00296/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs> “Regional Scoring of Emphysema. ” Computer Vision in Medicine. 28 September 2008 from <http://www. medqia. org/Research/Emphysema-scoring. htm> “Emphysema. ” 2008. Histopathology. 28 September 2008 from < http://www. histopathology-india. net/Emphysema. htm>