Stage 2 COPD life expectancy is 2.2 years.
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.
Doctors consider stage 2 COPD to be moderate. When a person has stage 2 COPD, their symptoms can include shortness of breath, chronic cough, and frequent respiratory infections. COPD will generally become more severe as the disease progresses.
But the condition can be controlled. People with mild emphysema who quit smoking have a normal life expectancy. Those who adopt good health habits can enjoy a fairly normal lifestyle for a long time. Even people whose emphysema is severe have a good chance of surviving for five years or more.
Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that damages the air sacs in your lungs and makes it hard to breathe. You can't reverse emphysema damage, and it'll gradually get worse. However, you can manage the symptoms with treatment and slow down the effects of emphysema.
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.
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'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.
Emphysema and COPD can't be cured, but treatments can help relieve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
So relatively, you can stay at the mild stage of the disease forever, with lots of work and a little luck. We measure lung function in how much air you can blow out in the first second of expiration (the FEV1 on a spirometry or PFT).
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.
Severe emphysema will, in most cases, be automatically approved for disability benefits if its effects reach the level of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
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.
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.
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%.
Emphysema is a type of lung disease that causes breathlessness. Emphysema is usually caused by cigarette smoking. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed using medications and adjustments to lifestyle.
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.
While lung tissue cells do regenerate, there's no way a smoker can return to having the lungs of a non-smoker. At best, they will carry a few scars from their time smoking, and at worst, they're stuck with certain breathing difficulties for the rest of their lives.
There is currently no cure for emphysema. Quitting smoking is an effective way to slow down the progression of the condition.
Anything you had in the first stage often gets worse in stage II. Not everyone gets the same symptoms, but you may have: Constant coughing, along with mucus, that's often worse in the morning. Shortness of breath that makes even household chores a challenge.
How Serious Is Your Emphysema? Stage 1 is also called mild emphysema. But that doesn't mean your disease is mild. You could have significant lung damage before you even notice the breathing problems of stage 1, especially if you're relatively young and otherwise healthy.
You can have emphysema for many years without noticing any signs or symptoms. The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually.
Stage III: Severe
During stage III of COPD, patients experience intensified symptoms, such as intensified shortness of breath, coughing and tiredness as well as more frequent flare-ups.
If climbing the stairs or walking up a slight incline has become harder for you, that could indicate your condition is deteriorating, says Dr. Wise. If the increase in shortness of breath is relatively mild, your symptoms could be managed by your doctor by increasing medication or adding medications, says McCormack.