Cult film director David Lynch revealed this week he is now housebound due to debilitating lung disease emphysema — so he’s no longer able to appear on set.
The 78-year-old Hollywood legend is battling severe breathlessness, one of the key symptoms of the condition, and claimed: ‘I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.’
And Lynch, who directed the Twin Peaks series and Blue Velvet, is far from alone: millions of people in Britain and America are living with an emphysema diagnosis.
More worryingly, however, is that fact that many millions more are thought to be suffering the deadly condition without realising.
So what are the warning signs — and could you be suffering emphysema but not know it?
Hollywood legend David Lynch is battling severe breathlessness, one of the key symptoms of COPD, and claimed: ‘I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen’
Lynch, who directed the Twin Peaks series and Blue Velvet, pictured above, is far from alone: millions of people in Britain and America are living with an emphysema diagnosis
Emphysema is one of the two main conditions that make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The other is chronic bronchitis.
Collectively, 1.2million people in the UK are known to have COPD, it’s the cause of one in every eight hospital admissions — and 30,000 annual deaths.
In the USA, more than 11 million people are living with a COPD diagnosis, although doctors say these figures are just the tip of the iceberg.
Emphysema occurs when the tiny alveoli — or air sacs — inside the lungs become damaged and stop functioning properly.
Chronic bronchitis is long-term inflammation of the airways, and many people have both problems which is why they’re not referred to under the same umbrella term.
One in four sufferers have NEVER smoked
The primary cause of COPD is smoking — and David Lynch admitted his love of cigarettes was likely behind his condition.
He told Sight and Sound magazine: ‘Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me.
‘It was part of the art life for me: the tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things.
‘Nothing like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me.’
But one in four people who develop COPD never smoked.
Secondhand smoke, air pollution, workplace exposures to dust, fumes and chemicals, and a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are also risk factors.
Diagnosis is most common in people after the age of 40, however the irreversible damage is thought to occur gradually and may begin long before that.
Got an endless cough? Get it checked out…
The most common early warning symptoms include shortness of breath, a phlegmy or chesty cough that won’t go away, wheezing or chest tightness, fatigue or tiredness and regular chest infections.
People might find, due to these problems, they have to change their day-to-day activities — and become less active.
Doctors say this symptoms like these shouldn’t be dismissed as ‘just part of ageing’, and should always be checked out.
Although there is no cure for COPD, the earlier diagnosis happens the sooner treatment that can alleviate the worst symptoms and even delay the disease from progressing.
Aside from quitting smoking, patients with COPD are advised to take extra precautions to protect themselves from respiratory infections such as flu and Covid.
Even simple colds can be far worse due to the existing problems with the lungs and there is an increased risk of pneumonia, which is a life-threatening bacterial infection.
COPD patients are advised to make sure they’re up to date with all vaccinations. Steering clear of second hand smoke and other forms of pollution are also key.
Emphysema occurs when the tiny alveoli — or air sacs — inside the lungs become damaged and stop functioning properly. Chronic bronchitis is long-term inflammation of the airways, and many people have both problems which is why they’re not referred to under the same umbrella term
Tests you need to rule out killer lung disease
The main test a GP or other physician would carry out to rule out COPD is called a spirometry, which shows how well the lungs are working.
To do this, patients are asked to blow into a machine called a spirometer after inhaling a medicine called a bronchodilator, which helps widen the airways.
A spirometer takes two measurements: the amount, or volume of air a person breaths out in a second, and the total volume.
These readings are compared with the normal results for a person of the same age, and this can show if there is a problem with the airways.
If COPD is suspected, further tests including a chest X-ray, blood tests — which will rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms , including anaemia — and possible heart tests will be carried out.
Although there is no cure for COPD, the earlier diagnosis happens the sooner treatment that can alleviate the worst symptoms and even delay the disease from progressing
The most common early warning symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, a phlegmy or chesty cough that won’t go away, wheezing or chest tightness, fatigue or tiredness and regular chest infections
No cure… but there is hope for patients
Patients with COPD are given inhalers — similar to the ones that asthma patients rely on.
There are a number of these, including bronchodilators, medicines that make breathing easier by relaxing and widening the airways, and corticosteroids, which can help to reduce the inflammation in your airways.
A range of other medications may also be offered if inhalers alone can’t control symptoms.
Dietary advice, psychological an emotional support are also offered and can help patients cope better with the symptoms. For more information visit Asthma + Lung in the UK, and in the USA the COPD Foundation or the American Lung Association.
Patients may also benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, a programme of exercises that can improve endurance and fitness in people with lung conditions like COPD.