Hi, I am new to this Forum and sm wondering if anyone can help from their own experience.
My recent CT scan reads, "Both lungs are diffusely emphysematous. There is apical lung fibrosis. There is small volume mediastinal lymphadenopathy." Dr described Emphysema as "significant". I am a 54 year old female and diagnosed with emphysema at 38 years. Should I be worried?
I should add that I am also asthmatic and on the usual medications for this.
I am sorry to hear this. I find the use of the word 'significant' to be slightly worrying but I would guess it means that your emphysema has progressed a bit. As I'm sure you know, it is a progressive disease but as long as you feel ok in yourself I wouldn't worry too much.
Thank you for your reply. I wish Doctors would just say what they mean. I don'the want to worry needlessly but neither do I want to be complacent.
Oh doctors and their medical language! I guess it makes them feel superior to throw these terms about. Next time ask them to explain it in English and tell you don't 'medic-speak'.
Hello Eco1 . I know what you mean. I usually just keep asking them questions until I understand what they really want to say. Less time consuming it seems. I hope you are relaxing this weekend. Take care.
Cas xx 🍀🌷🍀
Well, I've had plenty of CT Scans so let me see......both lungs diffus.emphse. translated would be that there is emphysema in both lungs. The lung fibrois that the report speaks of, fibrosis makes it hard to breathe. There is lots of scar tissue making it difficult to pull air through. And the median. lympha. is additional lymph nodes inside the chest area. Well, for starters I would quit smoking. What emphysema does is it makes it where it is difficult to breathe. If you quit now, your lungs won't get worse but if you continue to smoke, they will get worse. Have you had your follow up with the doctor that ordered the scan? When you visit him again, ask him to put it in layman'a terms. He may refer you to a lung specialist known as a Pulmonologist, or maybe to an Endocrinologist--one who specializes in enlarged lymph nodes. Good luck with your smoking. I would at least try to quit.
Hi. Thanks for your reply.
I, like you, have broken down much of the medical terminology, although the issues relating to the apical lung fibrosis and mediastinal lymphadenopathy has never been mentioned to me by any of the Doctors.
I was a smoker until 12 years ago and fave up following a scary flare up.
It was the GP that requested the CT scan and I am already under the Specialist and due to see him in 4 months. In the meantime, he has prescribed long term antibiotic medicaction and blood tests for hereditary emphysema.
All of this just seems to have come as a shock to me at the moment.
Never heard of hereditary emphysema in my entire life! Here in the USA you get it from smoking. You can also get it from the dust of Coal from the Coal mines, the lint from the cotton mills where we once made towels and linenx before all jobs went to Mexico somehow. You could also get it from allergies in your lungs, but I've never heard of it being hereditary! That's news to me. Smoking is the number 1 culprit.
I believe it is quite rare and can be caused by a deficiency of antitrypsin which is passed on through your genes. I think I have read up on just about everything this weekend .... but you are right, smoking is the main cause.
I suppose my concern is how serious is this. I have been pretty laid back about it since my initial diagnosis.
I have just been told I have copd and after all my research it absolutely can be inherited, and also even people that don't smoke can get this, my doctor also told me that my lungs were compromised from birth, because both my parents and all my relatives smoked in the house and car, before they knew how bad it was for them, so smoking may be involved but there are other factors, including have pneumonia and bronchitis during your life
Emphysema on CT scan but I think my pft results are normal
Ct scan results 
CT SCAN RESULTS. Help!
Finally CT Scan Results .. Enough To Make You Hyperventilate.
