The exact length of time you can live with COPD depends on your age, health, and symptoms. Especially if your COPD is diagnosed early, if you have mild stage COPD, and your disease is well managed and controlled, you may be able to live for 10 or even 20 years after diagnosis.
A person who receives a diagnosis of stage 4 emphysema can live for a decade or more following the diagnosis. The outlook is typically better for those who quit smoking and manage their symptoms well with medication.
"It's not a death sentence by any means. Many people will live into their 70s, 80s, or 90s with COPD.” But that's more likely, he says, if your case is mild and you don't have other health problems like heart disease or diabetes.
Prognosis. There is no cure for emphysema. But the condition can be controlled. People with mild emphysema who quit smoking have a normal life expectancy.
Emphysema usually progresses slowly and the majority of patients do not notice the changes in their breathing. Some patients do experience a faster onset of symptoms, though that is less common.
If you have emphysema, you can take a number of steps to halt its progression and to protect yourself from complications: Stop smoking. This is the most important measure you can take for your overall health and the only one that might halt the progression of emphysema.
Emphysema continues to progress even after people stop smoking. However, quitting smoking helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life and life expectancy.
Emphysema is usually caused by cigarette smoking. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed using medications and adjustments to lifestyle.
The 5-year life expectancy for people with COPD ranges from 40% to 70%, depending on disease severity. This means that 5 years after diagnosis 40 to 70 out of 100 people will be alive. For severe COPD, the 2-year survival rate is just 50%.
Pulmonary emphysema usually occurs at 60 to 80 years of age, and is defined as being early-onset when the disease develops before 55 years of age (1). Not surprisingly, early-onset pulmonary emphysema is a rare condition.
How Serious Is Your Emphysema? Stage 2 is also called moderate emphysema. But that doesn't always mean that your disease is moderate. If you're young and otherwise healthy, you could have severe lung damage and still be at stage 2.
When to use oxygen for emphysema. A doctor may recommend that a person begin using oxygen therapy when their blood oxygen saturation falls below 88% or their blood oxygen level falls below 55 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) at rest.
Emphysema can't be cured. It's progressive, so over time it will get harder and harder for you to catch your breath. But you might not know you have the disease for the first few years unless your doctor tests your breathing.
Emphysema gets worse over time. You cannot undo the damage to your lungs. Over time, you may find that: You get short of breath even when you do things like get dressed or fix a meal.
Stage 1: Symptoms are so mild that most people see no difference in their lung function. Your doctor may recommend a bronchodilator medication to open your airways. Lifestyle changes will also be encouraged, such as quitting smoking — the top cause of COPD — and avoiding secondhand smoke.
Once emphysema advances to the severe stage, individuals may lose an average of 9 years of life expectancy. Various treatment options are available, with doctors reserving surgery for the most severe cases. Getting treatment early and quitting smoking can make a difference in a person's outlook.
It takes several years to progress to the final stages of COPD or emphysema, but lifestyle factors play a role. Quitting smoking can significantly improve the outlook. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , COPD can progress quickly in people with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency who also smoke.
Results: Overall, high mortality was seen in this cohort (12.7 deaths per 100 person-years; 292 total deaths).
Stage 2 COPD life expectancy is 2.2 years.
Doctors don't know exactly how smoking destroys air sac linings, but studies show that smokers are about six times more likely to develop emphysema than are nonsmokers. Doctors don't know why some smokers get emphysema and others don't.
Long-time smokers will take longer for their lungs to improve. Some damage from smoking is permanent. Unfortunately, your alveoli cannot restore themselves, but stopping smoking will halt the progression of COPD and improve your ability to breathe.
“This test tells people you are developing early emphysema, and it's like a smoke alarm—when it goes off, it doesn't necessarily tell you there's a fire, but you have to pay attention to it.” Fifteen to 20 percent of smokers develop emphysema, and the longer one smokes, the higher their risk of developing the disease.
Your lung function can improve by up-to 30%. You might notice the impact of this in a reduction in shortness of breath when exercising. The fibres in your lungs that help to reduce mucus build-up and protect against bacterial infection might start to grow back.
In fact, experts say that it only takes about 100 cigarettes in your life to put you at a considerable risk for COPD. COPD is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States, so cigarettes are actually responsible for killing more people per year than anything else that can be prevented.