Ongoing Fatigue
Fatigue is another common symptom of emphysema and COPD. A person feels lack of energy and always tired particularly with the progression of disease. According to the researchers, almost between 50 to 70 percent of the people with emphysema suffer from fatigue which never ends. Fatigue often goes hand in hand with emphysema, but the underlying cause behind the association between emphysema and fatigue is not clear. People with emphysema experience trouble to get oxygen into their lungs and let carbon dioxide out normally. The excess of carbon dioxide and the shortage of oxygen can both make the patient feel low in energy and fatigued all the time.
The damage occurring to the alveoli and the airways in emphysema cause the air sacs to lose their structural elasticity and turn floppy. It is often hard for someone with emphysema to completely empty their lungs out, which causes accumulation of carbon dioxide in body tissues. The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the body can add up to the ongoing fatigue and tiredness. As breathing also becomes difficult with the progression of emphysema, it requires a great degree of effort for the patient to breathe. The increasing effort that the person needs to breathe consumes even more energy, which can contribute to lack of energy.
When a person feels lethargic and fatigued, they might limit doing their usual physical activities, which can lead to reduced stamina with time and body deconditioning. In addition, with the increasing deconditioning, a person feels more tired and fatigued while doing simple tasks of daily life. Having emphysema fatigue can potentially impact the ability of a person to perform daily life activities, such as personal grooming, recreational activities, and household chores. Moreover, fatigue can also cause a decrease in activity and can possibly result in depression. There is a drastic effect on quality of life of a person dealing with emphysema.