Very mild, or stage 1: FEV1 is about 80% of normal. Moderate, or stage 2: FEV1 is 50–80% of normal. Severe, or stage 3: FEV1 is 30–50% of normal. Very severe, or stage 4: FEV1 is less than 30% of normal.
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.
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.
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.
Stage 3 COPD life expectancy is 5.8 years.
However, since emphysema is a chronic and progressive disease, the symptoms may never disappear. Damage from smoking that causes emphysema is permanent.
Because most patients aren't diagnosed until stage 2 or 3, the prognosis for emphysema is often poor, and the average life expectancy is about five years. Treatment and early detection can play a big part in slowing down the progression of emphysema.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
Can you live 10 or 20 years with COPD? 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.
Life expectancy
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.
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%.
There is no cure for emphysema, although it is treatable. Appropriate management can reduce symptoms, improve your quality of life and help you stay out of hospital.
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.
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.
Bronchodilators relax the muscles around your airways, which help to open the airways and makes breathing easier. Bronchodilators can be short-acting or long-acting. Short-acting bronchodilators should be used on an as-needed basis and last for about 4-6 hours. They are usually used when emphysema is mild.
End-stage emphysema, or stage 4 emphysema, can mean living with a decade or more of breathing problems, tiredness, heart problems or other health concerns that impact your ability to live your life to your fullest.
Treating Advanced Emphysema
Medications like bronchodilators and inhaled steroids. Pulmonary rehabilitation, a supervised exercise program for people with lung diseases. Supplemental oxygen therapy, which helps maintain healthy oxygen levels in the body.
Stage 4 means your emphysema is advanced and that your breathing is very severely affected. At this stage, smoking or other pollutants have destroyed many of the 300 million tiny air sacs, or alveoli, that help bring oxygen into your body and get rid of carbon dioxide.