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Call the Doctor if You Have: |
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- Trouble breathing
- Worsening cough
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- No success with your medications
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Causes
Cigarette smoking is, by far, the most common cause of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is responsible for 82 percent of the deaths attributed to emphysema. A smoker is 10 times more likely to die of emphysema than a non-smoker.
Other causes, such as environmental pollution and occupational exposures, also have been blamed. Heredity plays a role in one form of emphysema that is due to a genetically linked enzyme (alpha-1-antitrypsin) deficiency.
In the Encyclopedia: Cough
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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