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Breathlessness in people with Severe COPD/emphysema

Emphysema is a form of COPD. It is an incurable condition but symptoms can be managed with the right treatment so patients can still enjoy a good quality of life.

Quiz

In severe emphysema, parts of the lungs are damaged causing air to become trapped in them. The damaged parts of the lung get bigger, putting pressure on the healthier parts of the lung and diaphragm. This makes it harder to take deep breaths, leading to breathlessness, which can impact your daily life.

Take a self-test to get a better idea of whether you are at risk of severe COPD/emphysema.

Start the Self-test

Have you or your loved one been diagnosed with COPD/emphysema?

With a COPD diagnosis, do you know which severity stage it is?

Which statement applies best to your / your loved one’s situation:

Have you smoked or do you still smoke?

Do you or your loved one cough several times a day?

Do you or your loved one take inhaled breathing medications on a regular basis?

Are you or your loved one satisfied with the quality of life you have with your current therapy, if any?

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Choose an option continue

Thank you for participating in our self-test.

Based on your answers, you are less likely to develop severe emphysema. However, this test should not be used to diagnose emphysema. If you are worried about severe emphysema, talk to your doctor about it at your next appointment. Your doctor will examine you closely to make a diagnosis and recommend the most suitable treatment option for you.

If you have never smoked, your risk of developing severe emphysema will be lower. Quitting smoking can lower your risk of developing severe emphysema. Generally, non-smokers are at a lower risk

For more information about severe COPD/emphysema, download our information pack.

Download the package
Treatment

Thank you for participating in our self-test.

Based on your answers, you may be at risk of developing severe emphysema. Below is some useful information about emphysema and treatment options.

Treatment

Treatment Options for Emphysema

Together with your primary healthcare provider, which could be your general practitioner or pulmonologist, you can create a treatment plan that works for you.

Many people will use more than one kind of treatment to manage their symptoms. Different treatment combinations will work better for different people.

Non-Invasive

Non-surgical options include COPD medicines, such as inhalers and oral steroids, stopping smoking programmes, pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen therapy.

COPD medicines

These may include inhalers, oral steroids, antibiotics, or other prescription drugs.

Stop smoking programmes

Smoking cessation programs help you quit smoking to prevent further damage to your lungs.

Rehabilitation

Your doctor can recommend a rehabilitation course to help you exercise your lungs and learn to breathe more efficiently.

Oxygen therapy

Emphysema reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your bloodstream. Your doctor can prescribe you oxygen therapy if medication does not help you enough.

Minimally Invasive Bronchoscopic

Lung volume reduction with endobronchial valves

Bronchoscopic or minimally invasive lung volume reduction with endobronchial valves. Endobronchial valves are a breakthrough technology that is clinically proven to help patients breathe easier, be more active, and enjoy a better quality of life¹. The endobronchial valves are not another medication or surgery. It is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a bronchoscope to place small one-way valves in a targeted, diseased lobe of your lung where trapped air is causing shortness of breath. The endobronchial valves allow trapped air from your treated lung to escape while preventing air from entering that lung lobe and so hyperinflation in the lung is reduced. Reducing this hyperinflation allows the healthier parts of your lung to expand and function better, so you can breathe easier and enjoy a better quality of life¹. If you’ve stopped smoking, or are willing to stop, and medical management is no longer working, you may be suitable for a minimally invasive option.

Surgical

Lung volume reduction with surgery and bullectomy

The operation is usually performed during a procedure called VATS (video assisted thoracoscopic surgery). The surgeon makes a small cut in one side of your chest. A special instrument is used to both cut a diseased portion of the lung and staple the lung at the same time. The staple line seals the cut surface and prevents or reduces any air leaks.

Lung transplant

When the lungs are too damaged to benefit from surgery, certain patients may meet the criteria for lung transplantation surgery. If patients receive this treatment, they must take immune-suppressing medications for the rest of their lives.

Complications of Endobronchial Valve treatment can include but are not limited to pneumothorax, worsening of COPD symptoms, hemoptysis, pneumonia, dyspnea and, in rare cases, death.

Do you need more information? Learn more in the patient information brochure.

Download brochure
Treatment

1. Criner. G et al. Am J Resp Crit Care Med. 2018 Nov l:1981-1151-1164

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