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Retarding exercises and rehabilitation of people with emphysema Nowadays lung diseases have become more famous killers in the whole world... Many scientists and doctors consider smoking as the cause of many diseases, but some confusing conflicts in the data suggest there may be other important cases. The research paper should embrace all aspects of emphysema: symptoms, treatment and, of course, physical therapy. (Bazex 2002) At first it is necessary to give the definition of this disease. For example, such definition was given by Bruis, famous scientist and physician: Emphysema is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by loss of elasticity and dilatation of the lung tissue. In emphysema the lungs become less and less efficient because of progressive damage to the millions of alveoli, or air sacs, at the ends of the bronchioles in the lungs. Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange takes place in the walls of the alveoli.
Healthy lungs have an elastic, spongy texture, so they contract and expand fully. If the alveoli become stretched or ruptured, the elasticity of the lungs is gradually destroyed. A person with emphysema cannot exhale without great effort. (Bruis 1983) The most part of people with such diagnose are inveterate smokers. The symptoms of emphysema can develop only in the middle age, when it became rather had for a person to exercise or to work hard.
As a result of all his beginnings the cough appeared. Emphysema was also called COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Emphysema usually develops by the fifth to sixth decade in affected persons but commonly appears in the fourth decade in smokers. Plasma deficiency of AAT is most commonly due to the Z mutation and is associated with early stages of emphysema. However, how this genetic abnormality lead to abnormalities in the liver is still unknown for scientists and physicians.
It is some kind of still unsolved problem. AAT deficiency is an omnivorous protease that can cause emphysema damaging primarily the lowest lobes of the lungs. (Blanco 2001) After some research scientists noticed that emphysema can also be considered as inherited disease. The risk of becoming ill with emphysema can be increased by working in greatly polluted environment or environment with chemicals and dust particles. In some cases COPD can be caused by deficiency of antitrypsin. It is blood protein.
But it is a common knowledge that the main and the most significant cause is, of course, longterm smoking. Smoking became a cause of pneumonia that can increase the risk of developing emphysema in due time. It is also necessary to point out the main symptoms of emphysema (COPD). After several scientific researches it was found that the main symptoms of emphysema were: breath shortness. It can worsen with time.
chest can took the shape of a barrel and it can significantly distend. emphysema is also connected with such diseases as bronchitis and asthma. So the main symptoms are cough, wheeze and phlegm. (Blanco 2001) In most cases it is man half who mostly has such disease. Women are ill with it rarely. The chance of becoming ill is increasing in case you are a smoke and in areas with polluted air. It is a matter of fact that nowadays the problem of pollution became a global problem.
So in such environment every person is risking. There are also people who are subjected to emphysema because of inherited defect in the blood serum. It ensures our lungs from infection. If it is defected the body defense can lose the lung tissue. And it will increase the chance to get ill with COPD. (Crystal 2002) One more factor is connected with job requiring the use of lungs power. Such jobs, for example, are playing wind musical instruments or glass blowing.
The increasing shortness of breath can result in death because of respiratory failure. Because of such disease a person is subjected to chest infections and pneumonia. These diseases can also be considered as a direct threat to die. Bruis has found one more risk to gat ill: There is also risk of a pneumothorax when air gets into the pleural space between the two layers of the pleura, a membrane that surrounds each lung. (Bruis 1983) If a person feels shortness of breath, he has to consult a doctor if the case is gentle, your doctor will find nothing anomalous during physical examination. He will determine only several wheezes which were heard through the stethoscope. Your doctor can advise you to make x-ray of the chest or to undergo spirometry.
This procedure will measure expiratory volume to show airflow barrier. Only then doctor determine your diagnosis. Person with COPD has reduced airflow during the forceful exhalation. (Brantly 1996) If the disease is developing further, movement of chest reduces while breathing. The neck and the muscle take part in the difficult persons breathing. It becomes rather hard to hear breath sounds through the stethoscope. As to treatment it is necessary to mention that the most important is self-help and faith in recovery.
Doctors say that the first step of treatment is to stop smoking, because it the most widespread cause of emphysema. The person must stop smoking when the airflow barrier is easy to abate and it is easier to slow down the development of breath shortness. The person must avoid contacts with other airborne irritants. It is also important to avoid people with cough, colds or chills. A really useful and good thing is to make exercises regularly in a fresh air or just take a walk in a good weather. (Bruis 1983) It is a matter of fact that doctors can reduce the symptoms and to slow down emphysema. But it is also a common knowledge that no physician can cure this disease.
The person has to drink a lot of fluids in order to avoid dehydration and to protect him from thick secretions. Doctors advise to inhale bronchodilator's and corticosteroids to decrease spasm of muscles and to diminish inflammation. Antibiotic therapy is useful to control lung infections that can lead to intensifying of emphysema. (Crystal 2002) It is important to point out the most significant recommendations how to avoid and to slow down emphysema. They are the following: eat garlic or onions every day, because they are good expectorant and possess antibacterial properties. in order to clean your organism eat more carrots, spinach, celery, green vegetables with leaves and, of course, fresh juices. try not no eat fried and greasy foods, salt.
It can cause excess mucus. You must avoid eating meat, eggs, all dairy products and cheese, processed food, junk food, etc. try not to have furry and feathered animals at home. If you want pets you can breed fishes. try not to use perfume or other fragrances. try to avoid facing with tobacco and cigarettes.
You have to stop smoking and you have to avoid places where people smoke of course, no allowance to smoke at home for your relatives and friends. try to avoid foods such as meat and nuts, because they need chewing. try to avoid polluted areas. If it is cleaning in your hose, try go outside not to breath dust, aerosol products and molds.
try to make exercises regularly: you must busy yourself with biking, climbing, because it is physical activity. try to rest more and not to worry. your diet must consist of practically raw foods (50 %). Then you can eat different soups, chicken, fish and cereals. (Brantly 1996) The patients of the main group of risk (more than 20 cigarettes per day, over 55 years old) must be put under control including physical examination, chest x-ray, and determination of function of the inner breath twice a year.
The first step of COPD therapy is to stop smoking. The choice of medical supplies depends on the stage and the symptoms of the emphysema. If a person is ill with emphysema, he should carefully use medicals which dilute phlegm and also antitussive drugs are contraindicated. Cinesitherapy is useful in such cases. A person must also take personal corticosteroids (long-term use is only in severe forms of disease; in short-term therapy the effectiveness of treatment must be controlled during 14 days after prescription). (Blanco 2001) Oxygen therapy is rather useful and improves the duration and quality of patience's life. Vasodilators have practically no clinical effect.
Diuretics can be used only in case of presence of edemas. The rehabilitation programs should include teaching, psychological help and support, support of movement activity, physical and breathe exercises. The current method to specific therapy for people with emphysema includes the control of AAT protein. This replacement commonly involves weekly infusion with a product which contains normal AAT protein. Other methods involve supportive measures for the clinical manifestations of emphysema. If a person is severely ill, then transplantation of lung is used. (Bazex 2002) It is known that death rate from emphysema has increased about 45 % over the past 20 years.
It is most spread disease and its death rate is higher than that of AIDS. It is a common knowledge that COPD murdered at least 109, 000 people in 1997. It was also reported that Arizona (USA) was the sixth state for emphysema deaths and the 13 th lowest SAM rate. Similar differences are observed in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Five of the country's eight worst states for COPD deaths are considered to be in the inland West, and only one, Nevada, is among the worst for SAM rates. (Crystal 2002) Patience with emphysema (COPD) would be seriously handicapped at altitudes significantly lower than 10 000 ft and would not present diagnostic problems. Bruis said the following according the problem: The treatment of chronic mountain sickness is the descent to a lower altitude.
It may not be necessary to descend to sea level and the increased oxygen pressure produced by a descent of only a few thousand feet may be extremely beneficial. Acute symptoms may be relieved temporarily by oxygen inhalation. When permanent residence is taken up at lower altitudes, symptoms are relieved for months or years. Symptoms are not manifest so long as residence at sea level is maintained. (Bruis 1983) To sum up all the information it is necessary to mention that it is easier to prevent illness than to cure it, because many diseases are incurable. And a person has to suffer from emphysema for all his life.
But the results of this disease are really terrible: sufferings and death. Nobody knows how many years a person can live with such disease. The main and the most important advices are to stop smoking and to lead healthy lifestyle. And, of course, it is useful to visit doctor as minimum twice a year. And in the end it is necessary to add that you have never to give up even in the most difficult situations.
People can live with such disease for many years. (Brantly 1996) Works cited Alpha- 1 Foundation. 2003. Alpha- 1 Foundation Homepage. Available: web [accessed 3 October 2003 ]. Bazex, J. (2002). Alpha- 1 -antitrypsin deficiency. Cutaneous aspects.
Bull Acad Natl Med 186, 1479 - 1487 Blanco, I. (2001). Alpha- 1 -ami trypsin Pi phenotypes S and Z in Europe: an analysis of the published surveys. Clin Genet 60, 31 - 41. Brantly.
M. (1996). Lung Biology in Health and Disease. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc. , 45 - 59. Bruis, A. (1983). The natural history of air-flow obstruction in PiZ emphysema.
NHIBI workshop, 127, S 43 - 45. Crystal, R. (2002). The alpha 1 -antitrypsin gene and its mutations. Clinical consequences and strategies for therapy. Chest, 95, 196 - 208.
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Research essay sample on Retarding Exercises And Rehabilitation Of People With Emphysema
