Health Coaching Calls for Emphysema

Emphysema is an abnormal widening of the airways. It can be either obstructs the airways and make breathing harder or enlarge the airways and make it harder to breathe at all. It is most commonly found in people older than 50 and women. In men at the age of 50 the most common form has a cough due to air that they sit and exhale, known as "snoring". It has been observed in people without prior history of smoking or COPD, and can be present in people with bronchiectasis. In infants with an early start to breathing the airways can be constricted. This is a cause of decreased oxygen, CO and pH levels.

Emphysema may cause the following signs and symptoms: shortness of breath (due to the presence of air in the alveoli), weight loss, fatigue, and decreased exercise tolerance. Coughing up blood, chest pain, and persistent cough or difficulty in keeping airways open are also

Many patients with emphysema will have a significant improvement in their condition with lung-clearing surgery. Lung-clearing surgery should be considered early as treatment for lung emphysema.

Emphysema in people with no histories of cigarette smoking is linked to two exposures: 1) passive smoking and occupational exposure, particularly to dust and 2) the use of organic solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons.

In the past, the treatment of emphysema has been mainly with high-dose, long-lasting Oxygen therapy and Surgery. However, recent advances in medical device technology may open up new, promising, and less invasive options, such as the use of endobronchial coils for treating emphysema. Further research into novel treatment modalities for the treatment of emphysema is necessary.

In this survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults, there were not statistically significant associations between age and the prevalence of emphysema in a population with a mean age of 45 years. Findings from a recent study suggest that emphysema prevalence in the US, especially when measured as prevalence per 1000 subjects, is probably not an important issue in the early decades of the population. However, the findings suggest that it may become a significant concern later in life in this group.

With respect to lung CT imaging of emphysema, the 2015 consensus guideline statement on emphysema published by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society is a good summary of much of what's current medical knowledge.

Participants found the health coaching calls to be informative in giving them an awareness of the symptoms that are indicative of obstructive lung disease (such as shortness of breath), the management of these symptoms, and the best available evidence for the treatment of emphysema and COPD.

The findings of this study indicate that a significant number of callers have difficulty in achieving significant improvements in their health. Given their frequency of use and the potential impact on the individual, consultation and referral of callers for their ongoing health issues should be encouraged.

Despite randomized trials of health coaching, this study found no benefit from an additional telephone coaching session, even after 6 months of enrollment. Results from a recent paper are consistent with an earlier report that no benefit from a phone support intervention was documented after a long period of time. This suggests that health coaching is effective when used for 6 months at a time and then tapered but does not have any long-term benefit.

Data from a recent study shows that many patients will take a health coaching call as a prerequisite for enrollment in any other proposed treatment. It has been shown that patients who receive a health coaching call are better prepared for participating in a behavior-management program as compared with those who receive no health coaching.