Emphysema Causes
Emphysema Causes
Emphysema causes differ from one case to another, but it is generally understood that the most common cause of all is cigarette smoking. In fact, the health of a person can be negatively affected no matter if the person is actually a smoker, or just often exposed to secondhand smoke.
Emphysema is a medical condition that is defined by the malfunctioning of the respiratory system, particularly certain parts of the lungs. This condition is mainly divided into two categories: the primary and the secondary. However, for convenience, it is often described based on the location of the affected parts, and the types of emphysema are the centriacinar and the panacinar. On one hand, centriacinar emphysema only affects the respiratory bronchioles. On the other hand, panacinar emphysema is characterized by the expansion of the whole respiratory acinus.
It is said that smoking cigarettes is the primary cause of this condition, because it basically constrains the lungs to function properly. Since smoking both weakens the lungs and prevents it from producing and eliminating mucus when necessary, it has been identified as one of the most serious emphysema causes.
Although it is a known fact that smoking cigarettes is indeed very dangerous to a person’s health, a large percentage of the world is still hooked on cigarettes. If these cigarette addicts are not be able to quit cigarette smoking, there is a great chance that they will suffer from any or all of its adverse effects, which include emphysema.
When a person smokes, the cells in the body are damaged – and the damage starts with the cells in the respiratory tract. The respiratory passages have the hair-like protrusions called cilia, which are intended to block foreign elements that could possibly pass through and damage the respiratory system. The cilia are also responsible for “sweeping” mucus out of a person’s system if there is an overproduction of the fluid. If the mucus is not eliminated from the body due to the malfunctioning or the absence of cilia, a person might experience certain health problems.
Emphysema causes a person to have difficulty breathing, primarily because the constriction and expansion of the lungs are affected by the disease. Aside from the damage to the cilia, cigarette smoking can also induce the production of mucus to go into overdrive. When this happens, the chances of developing emphysema increases: because the person’s respiratory system is unable to eliminate the mucus buildup in the lower respiratory tract and the production of the mucus is even heightened.
The immune system tends to be ineffective when it comes to dealing with problems in the lungs, because the immune cells are damaged by smoking. Identifying the emphysema causes that should be watched out for is simple: anything that can possibly irritate and damage the lungs should be prevented at all times to minimize its risks on a person’s health.