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| Emphysema Asthma |
Question:
Has anyone ever heard of a connection between asthma and emphysema?
Answer:
Yes. However, I was never diagnosed as having asthma as a child, but
my sister was. Both of us used to have terrible chest colds/pneumonia
several times a year. Of course back in those days there wasn't
antibiotic therapy either. Our mom was an RN so we had good care. All
she could do was lay "mustard plasters" on our chests... :(( It burnt
like the devil. but it was that or die of pneumonia. Asthma "runs" in
my family, my sister and one brother and other family members have it
too, but not as severe as mine. So far, I'm the only one who has
developed emphysema. One of my kids (she's an RN too) has asthma and
is taking singular and flovent and salbutamol bronchodilator when
needed. No one smokes in our family.
I don't smoke either and I don't have alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. I
was diagnosed with severe asthma when I was 38 and diagnosed with
emphysema last year at age 58.
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