What happens when it suddenly gets worse? When COPD gets worse it is called an exacerbation (ex-zass-er-BAY-shun). During an exacerbation you may suddenly feel short of breath, or your cough may get worse. You may also cough up phlegm, and it may be thicker than normal or an unusual color.
The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease sets out the stages of COPD. Generally, the stages are based on a combination of airflow limitation, symptoms, and exacerbations. A doctor can use a breathing test to measure lung capacity. The test measures the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1).
Signs and Symptoms of Advanced Emphysema
Over time, the trapped air can cause lungs to get very large and lead to shortness of breath. You may have trouble breathing when you are walking even short distances or during daily activities like showering, climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
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.
In this stage, symptoms become more severe: intensified shortness of breath, tiredness and coughing, and more frequent flare-ups. Also, there may be new signs of emphysema progression, such as more frequent respiratory infections, like a cold or the flu, tightness of the chest, trouble catching your breath and others.
Approximately 80 percent of the patients with mild emphysema lived more than four years after the diagnosis. 60 to 70 percent of patients with moderate emphysema were alive after four years. 50 percent of patients with severe emphysema were alive after four years.
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.
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.
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.
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. Join a smoking cessation program if you need help giving up smoking. As much as possible, avoid secondhand smoke.
Stage 4 is also called very severe emphysema. It can be particularly hard if you're 65 and older because breathing problems are more likely to interfere with basic daily tasks like dressing, cooking, or climbing stairs, and cause symptoms that send you to the hospital.
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.
Stage 3: 5.8 years.
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.
Stage III: Severe
Typically, you will also experience new signs of COPD progression, including getting colds more often, feeling tightness in your chest, swelling in your ankles and feet, having trouble catching your breath, and breathing issues when you exert yourself.
Stage 2 COPD life expectancy is 2.2 years.
Stage 2 (moderate) COPD: You may experience persistent coughing and phlegm (often worse in the morning), increased shortness of breath, tiredness, sleep problems, or wheezing. About one in five people have exacerbations that worsen their symptoms and cause the color of their phlegm to change.
Symptoms to call 911 or seek care at the Emergency room:
Severe shortness of breath (with rest or activities) Unable to do any activities because of your breathing.
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 continues to progress even after people stop smoking. However, quitting smoking helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life and life expectancy.
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.
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%.
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.
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.