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By Perry Gil S. Mallari, Reporter
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Smokin’
like hell: Winehouse
has early signs of emphysema |
Emphysema, a major chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, has become a buzzword in the Internet lately. This, after
it was reported that critically acclaimed English singer-songwriter
Amy Winehouse was diagnosed with early signs of the ailment.
Winehouse’s case shatters the misconception
that emphysema only afflicts old people. The singer’s father
admitted that chain cigarette smoking and cocaine usage caused her
daughter’s condition. For many who adhere to rock ‘n roll
lifestyle, the credo is “live hard, die young.” But emphysema is
a painful and pathetic way to die.
Emphysema reduces the lungs’ capacity to expel
air. It’s the opposite of asthma where a patient has a hard time
inhaling. “In emphysema, breathing out is an ordeal,” explains
Ulysses Dorotheo, MD, senior policy adviser of the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance, Philippines (FCAP), adding,
“The main characteristic of emphysema is that the air sacs in the
lungs are destroyed. Though air was sucked in, the normal exchange
of oxygen and carbon dioxide is not taking place thus, proper
oxygenation of the blood stream is seriously hampered.” Describing
the painful process of exhalation of emphysema patients, he
narrates, “For them, expiring air out is like blowing through a
tiny straw.”
Dorotheo cautions that emphysema is irreversible
and lethal in the advance stage. He explains, “There’s nothing
much that can be done once the damage to the lung tissue has been
inflicted.”
He points to smoking as the major culprit in the
development of emphysema. “If you want to save yourself from the
horrors of emphysema then do not start smoking or if you already are
smoking, quit immediately,” he advises.
One surreptitious characteristic of emphysema is
that it usually takes years of exposure to cigarette smoke
(second-hand smoke included) or some other inhaled irritants before
it developed. “Some people may have unknowingly developed
emphysema after years of heavy smoking,” Dorotheo points out. In
most cases, symptoms of emphysema appear only after 30 percent to 50
percent of lung tissue is lost.
Should a person be diagnosed of possessing early
indications of developing emphysema as in the case of Winehouse,
Dorotheo stresses that the person must quit smoking immediately.
This, he explains, is the only way to halt the progression of the
disease. “If, at the time of diagnosis it was discovered that his
lung capacity was down to 70 percent then at least he will retain
that capacity, though diminished, if he quit smoking.”
The most vocal victim of emphysema in the
country today is Amalia Gilmour, a former heavy smoker. Gilmour is
helping FCAP in its campaign for the passage of the Picture Based
Warning Law (a legislation requiring tobacco companies to put
picture-based health warnings on cigarette packs) Now confined to a
wheel chair with an oxygen tank tagging along, Gilmour in many FCAP
campaigns shared to the public the misery smoking has caused her.
Besides emphysema, smoking is the known cause of
a legion of health woes including cancer. Each puff of smoke may
seem like heaven but one could never tell when it will take its
toll. The wise choice is to quit smoking now and quit for good.
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