As the disease progresses, even walking across the room becomes increasingly difficult. Eventually the patient must be connected to an oxygen bottle just to get around. A bout with a minor respiratory infection or case of the flu may be life threatening. The goal of emphysema treatment is to help relieve symptoms and prevent or slow the progression of the disease. Of course, the single most important thing a patient can do is stop smoking.
Doctors also use a variety of drugs that dilate the airways and help ward off infections.
Breathing exercises are recommended to strengthen the diaphragm and the muscles in the chest wall, and general conditioning activities are prescribed to rehabilitate the body. Some patients with emphysema become candidates for lung transplantation. Unfortunately, there will never be enough money or available lungs for this treatment option to have much of an impact. A fairly new procedure called lung reduction surgery is offering hope to some emphysema patients. A diseased emphysematous lung becomes greatly over-expanded, like a balloon ready to burst.